Was Lewis Cine's big game enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster?

Cine was excellent against the Browns, but was it too little, too late?

Vikings safety Lewis Cine at an offseason practice. / Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Now that was the Lewis Cine the Vikings have wanted to see since they drafted him 32nd overall in 2022. That was the Lewis Cine who was first team All-SEC at Georgia and the defensive MVP of the national championship game.

Sure, it was just a preseason game against mostly third-stringers, but Cine put together his best performance in a Vikings uniform in Saturday's 27-12 victory over the Browns. He was all over the field, recording a team-high ten tackles with an interception and a sack. Cine looked like he was playing free and playing with confidence, which allowed him to fly around and make things happen.

"Great to see him really look comfortable out there and make some plays on the football," Kevin O'Connell said. "I felt his physicality. I know the guys on the sideline were fired up to see Lew do his thing."

Lewis Cine was great today. 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT.

Kevin O'Connell: "Great to see him look comfortable out there and make some plays on the football." pic.twitter.com/EISvk7iD7T

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 18, 2024

It was the type of day Cine really needed to have. The fact that he played basically an entire preseason game tells you a lot about where he stands on the Vikings' roster. Since recovering from a leg injury that cost him his rookie season, he's been unable to emerge at all in a deep safety room that includes Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, and Theo Jackson. Cine may have even been sixth on the depth chart behind Jay Ward and now Bobby McCain (with Ward moving to cornerback). The fact that he missed a chunk of time during training camp with an injury didn't help his case at all. I didn't have him making the 53-man roster in my projection last week.

Was this game enough to change that or was it too little, too late? Cine was legitimately excellent in Cleveland, and at 24 years old, perhaps the Vikings shouldn't give up on the former first-round pick just yet. Even if there isn't a role for him on the defense this year, he could be a potential contributor in 2025 and beyond. After all, Smith may retire after this season and Bynum is entering the final year of his contract.

Other teams with less-stacked safety rooms will take notice of what Cine put on tape on Saturday. If the Vikings waive him on August 27, he'd likely get claimed by someone before making it to Minnesota's practice squad. So if the Vikings aren't going to keep him on the 53-man roster, it may behoove them to see if they can get something like a conditional sixth-round pick back for Cine in a trade.

After this performance, I'd be rather tempted to find a way to make room for Cine on the roster. He's a dynamic athlete with size, speed, and physicality, which isn't easy to find. Cine hasn't been able to put it all together in the NFL, but what if something started to click for him against the Browns? As Kwesi Adofo-Mensah always says, development happens differently for everyone. There's a chance that holding onto Cine could pay off for the Vikings at some point down the road.

No matter what happens, it was cool to see a young player who has struggled at this level look like the best version of himself again.

“It feels good to be running around playing football," Cine said. "It feels good to show my true potential. ... I was just playing football. I think that's a difference between now and a couple years back. I'm playing fast now, which is great."