Vikings safety Lewis Cine looked smooth and healthy in his return to on-field work during the team's voluntary workout on Wednesday.
Cine, the Vikings' first-round pick last year, had his rookie season cut short when he suffered an awful leg injury — a compound fracture — while playing on special teams in a Week 4 game against the Saints in London. Since then, he's been working to get back to full health and be ready to go for his second season.
Given the nature of Cine's injury, his recovery has been surprising and impressive. He was back to walking without assistance less than a month after getting hurt, and he shared plenty of photos and videos of his workouts throughout this offseason. With the offseason program underway, Cine seems to be moving well and getting closer to 100 percent.
"Guys on defense have told us they forgot Cine was even injured, he's recovered so well," tweeted KSTP's Alec Ausmus.
This is a big year for Cine, who showed so much promise during his time at Georgia. He'll be competing with Cam Bynum for a starting spot at safety this offseason. If Cine can win that battle, his explosiveness and instincts could make him a great fit next to Harrison Smith in new coordinator Brian Flores' defense. That's what the Vikings were envisioning when they traded back and took him with the 32nd overall pick last year.
So far, Cine is off to a good start in year two.
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