Former Vikings first-round pick signed by Eagles ahead of playoffs

Lewis Cine is joining a bunch of his former Georgia teammates in Philadelphia.

Aug 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine (6) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former Vikings first-round pick Lewis Cine off of the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, they announced on Wednesday.

This is a pretty ideal move for Cine, who gets to join a bunch of his former Georgia teammates in Philly. The Eagles also have Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, and Kelee Ringo on their roster, all of whom played with Cine on Georgia's stacked defense in 2021. That year marked the first of the Bulldogs' back-to-back national titles.

Cine was the defensive MVP in the championship game that year, and after trading down 20 spots, the Vikings selected him 32nd overall in 2022. He was the first draft pick of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell era.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Cine suffered a rough leg injury on special teams as a rookie, then never climbed up the depth chart after getting healthy. A strong second preseason game against the Browns last August wasn't enough to keep him from getting cut before his third season. He played just ten total defensive snaps with the Vikings.

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Cine wound up on the Bills' practice squad, appearing in one game on special teams in December. Now he's headed to Philadelphia's active roster. Still 25 years old, Cine's size and athleticism could give him a chance to stick around in the NFL for a while, perhaps mainly on special teams.

The No. 2 seed Eagles host the No. 7 seed Packers on Sunday in the first of three NFC wild card games, which will conclude with the No. 5 seed Vikings taking on the No. 4 seed Rams in Los Angeles on Monday night.