Former Minnesota Vikings first-round safety Lewis Cine will stop in Western New York instead of continuing on to New Jersey.
Instead of signing with the New York Jets' practice squad as initially reported, Cine is expected to ink a deal with the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Thursday, per sources informed of the situation.
Buffalo has since announced the signing.
When asked about what happened with the Cine signing on Thursday, Jets general manager Joe Douglas told reporters the safety "had a change of heart, I guess."
Cine -- the first draft pick of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's tenure in 2022 at No. 32 overall -- was released Tuesday.
A nasty compound leg fracture in Week 4 of his rookie season sideswiped the start of the safety's career. He returned to play seven games in 2023, mostly on special teams. He played just eight defensive snaps last season, per Next Gen Stats.
The Georgia product will get a fresh start in the AFC East -- just not with the team initially expected.
The Bills revamped their safety crew this offseason, parting ways with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Taylor Rapp, rookie Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin and Mike Edwards currently comprise the safety crew. Buffalo will add Cine to the mix on the practice squad with the opportunity to be elevated. Given how teams lean on their pre-draft grades for players, it's of little surprise that multiple teams were willing to give Cine another shot at rebooting his career.
