5 Minnesota Vikings who don't deserve another season in 2024

Player No. 3

Lewis Cine - S

The Vikings might as well just suck it up and admit Lewis Cine was a mistake.

It's hard for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to swallow as he was his first-ever draft pick, and in the trade down, he passed on a lot of quality players like Kyle Hamilton, Trent McDuffie, and Jordan Davis. But the truth is that Cine may just not ever figure it out at the NFL level.

Yes, Cine broke his leg in year one, and that set him back. Let's not forget he was fourth on the depth chart before that.

This season, he came back ready to roll, and instead of moving up the depth chart, he slid down to it to become the fifth safety on the team. Theo Jackson surpassed him and saw much more playing time than the former first-round pick.

Cine was primarily a special teamer in 2023. He did see some defensive snaps late and even registered his first career defensive tackle. That's not the kind of return one wants to see through two years from a first-round pick.

Cine has a chance to ascend the depth chart this season. Harrison Smith likely won't be brought back due to his massive contract and regression on the field. However, the Vikings could sign a free-agent safety or draft one, and that would put Cine right back to being on the fringe of this roster.

Cine should've shown some signs of hope last season. Yes, he was learning a new system and getting his legs back under him after being out with that horrible injury, but he generated next to no buzz.

The only thing he's proven is that he deserves to not be on this team moving forward, and there's a good chance he won't be.