Eagles Predicted to Part Ways With $10 Million Former First Round Pick

The Philadelphia Eagles are probably always going to be a little more inclined to bring in Georgia players — especially on the defensive side of the ball — after the success they’ve had in recent years.

That’s why it wasn’t a surprise when they made a move to add another former Bulldog in safety and former first round pick Lewis Cine before last year’s playoff run, which ended with a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

He joins an Eagles lineup that features 4 former Bulldogs as starters on the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL.

“Cine was a 2022 first-round pick by the Vikings, but he suffered a compound fracture to his leg during his rookie season,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on January 8. “He appeared in seven games last year and made one appearance for the Bills in the regular season. Most of his playing time has come on special teams and Cine has been credited with one career tackle.”

That might be where Cine’s story with the Eagles ends, as NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro predicts he’ll be released before the team cuts down to its 53-man roster.

“Reed Blankenship is one of the Eagles’ starters, while Andrew Mukuba, Sydney Brown and Tristin McCollum battle it out for the job next to him,” Zangaro wrote. “That spot is vacant after the Eagles traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans. I have Andre’ Sam as the 53rd and final player on the roster, mostly for his special teams ability.”

Cine signed a 1-year, $1 million contract with the Eagles for 2025 that could bring his career earnings to approximately $10.5 million.

Cine Appeared Headed Toward Pro Bowl Career

Cine played for University of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, before becoming a star at Georgia.

Cine capped his career with the Bulldogs by leading his team to the College Football Playoff National Championship, earning All-SEC honors and CFP National Championship Game Defensive MVP honors in a win over SEC rival Alabama.

The Vikings took Cine, 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, in the first round after he ran a blazing, 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and signed him to a 4-year, $11.49 million contract.

Cine’s career took an unexpected turn just 1 month into his rookie season when he suffered a compound fracture to his left leg in Week 4 — an injury that required 2 surgeries. Cine only played 7 games in 2023 and 10 games in total before he was eventually cut by the Vikings as part of their final roster cuts in 2024 and picked up by the Bills to be on their practice squad.

‘Philly Dawgs’ Real Thing for Super Bowl Champs

The Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman became known for their affinity for Georgia defensive players over the 2022 and 2023 drafts, when they took 5 Bulldog defenders in the 2 drafts — players they’ve built their defense around.

Most notably, Philadelphia used 3 consecutive first-round picks over those 2 years to take Georgia defensive players — defensive tackle Jordan Davis (No. 13 overall) in 2022 followed by defensive tackle Jalen Carter (No. 9 overall) and outside linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (No. 30 overall) in 2023