Vikings safety Lewis Cine delivers crushing hit on Browns quarterback Tyler Huntley

Third-year Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine wasn’t shy in delivering some big hits on Saturday in a preseason matchup with the Cleveland Browns. And that included a him coming down and laying the wood on Browns quarterback Tyler Huntley.

As Huntley scrambled for the line to gain in the third quarter, Cine came down from his safety spot and delivered a hard, solid hit across the runner’s chest. Along with dumping Huntley, Cine managed to knock his helmet off with the blow.

It was part of a nice afternoon for Cine, as he led the Vikings in total tackles and picked up a sack, a pair of quarterback hits and defended a pass.

LEWIS CINE HIT-STICK 🤯💥 pic.twitter.com/AwuR3VCzJT

— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) August 17, 2024

Cine is about to enter his third season for the Vikings, struggling to break into a meaningful role. He appeared in just three games as a rookie in 2022, suffering a broken leg early in the season. He played just seven games in 2023.

Cine was selected by the Vikings with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia.

The Vikings made a recent quarterback move

After he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus, the Minnesota Vikings have placed J.J. McCarthy on injured reserve, the franchise announced. They also signed former Ole Miss and Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Corral in a corresponding move.

McCarthy made his lone preseason appearance in the opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, but missed practice with knee soreness afterward. Testing later showed a torn meniscus and he underwent season-ending surgery as a result, meaning the Vikings had to find a new backup for Sam Darnold.

That led them to Corral, whom the Panthers selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He immediately was placed on injured reserve after suffering a Lisfranc injury and spent last season playing in the UFL with the Birmingham Stallions.

McCarthy will now find himself on the sidelines for his rookie season after previously looking to challenge Darnold for the starting quarterback job. In fact, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t rule out the possibility of the former Michigan star getting the nod in Week 1.

Instead, McCarthy underwent surgery. He had a message to Minnesota fans after making the decision to do so, as well.

“Love you Viking nation,” McCarthy said, when it was first revealed he had a torn meniscus. “I’ll be back in no time. Amor fati.”