Former Tennessee Vols player is on track to steal an NFL roster spot from a former Georgia Bulldogs star player
An under-the-radar former Tennessee Vols defender appears to be on track to steal an NFL roster spot from a former Georgia Bulldogs standout who was a first round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Minnesota Vikings selected Georgia safety Lewis Cine with the No. 32 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Cine, however, […]
An under-the-radar former Tennessee Vols defender appears to be on track to steal an NFL roster spot from a former Georgia Bulldogs standout who was a first round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Georgia safety Lewis Cine with the No. 32 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Cine, however, has yet to live up the big expectations that accompany every first round draft pick.
Cine, who was a member of the All-SEC first team in 2021, has played in just 10 games through the first two years of his NFL career. And he's totaled just one tackle while playing only 10 defensive snaps.
Former Vols safety Theo Jackson, meanwhile, appears to be in a better spot with the Vikings than Cine.
Jackson, a sixth round selection by the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft, joined Minnesota during the 2022 season after the team signed him off the Titans' practice squad.
The Nashville native has played in 26 games for the Vikings over the last two seasons, totaling 30 tackles and an interception.
The Athletic's Alec Lewis noted last week that Jackson is "clearly" the No. 4 safety on the Vikings' depth chart at this point in the offseason.
From The Athletic: Jackson is only 25. The Tennessee Titans drafted him in the sixth round, waived him and wanted to keep him, but the Vikings scooped him up. He is clearly the No. 4 safety on the depth chart and might be a future option post-Harrison Smith.
The praise for Jackson from Lewis coincides with Inside the Vikings' Will Ragatz suggesting after a recent OTA session that Cine is in danger of being cut before the start of the 2024 season.
From Inside the Vikings: Lewis Cine got beaten in coverage a couple times and also dropped an interception off of a deflection. It's very early in this offseason, but the 2022 first-round pick might be at risk of getting cut before his third season.
A to Z Sports' Evan Winter pointed out on Monday that Cine's best hope to make the 53-man roster is for Minnesota to carry six safeties, as they did to start the 2023 season. But as Winter noted, the Vikings could carry more cornerbacks on the roster in 2024 due to the additions of Shaq Griffin and Khyree Jackson.
For now, it doesn't look good for Cine. And the presence of Jackson, a player that's had to constantly fight to earn a roster spot since entering the NFL in 2022, is a major reason why the former Georgia standout could be looking for a new job soon.
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