Safety Lewis Cine is expected to return to practice this week, opening the possibility of the first-round pick making his Vikings debut on Monday night in Philadelphia.
Cine, the 32nd overall pick out of Georgia, aggravated a knee contusion last week and was held out of Sunday's win against the Packers. He initially suffered the injury during an Aug. 20 preseason game against the 49ers. He'd been off the injury report until the issue popped up again in the middle of last week.
"Lew is kind of champing at the bit to get going," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "He's done everything we've asked from a rehab standpoint. We'll see what his practice schedule looks like, but we're expecting to hopefully have Lew."
Cine is behind safety Camryn Bynum on the depth chart, but there's a situational role for Cine on defense, according to O'Connell.
The Vikings also got good news regarding cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., who left after two snaps on special teams against the Packers due to a quad injury. Booth's injury is "not a long-term thing," O'Connell said, and it's possible he plays against the Eagles. Booth, a second-round pick, had just recovered from an ankle injury suffered last month.
'Feeling pretty fresh'
Nose tackle Harrison Phillips said he's on the NFLPA Mackey-White Health and Safety Committee, and therefore takes a particular interest in the evidence his Vikings just produced: A team that rested 10 starters in the preseason was physically imposing in a 23-7 win to start the regular season.
Phillips, who reportedly played through a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee for the Bills last season, said he's an advocate for teams prioritizing player safety over maximizing offseason contact. O'Connell has the Vikings following the Rams' lead by monitoring mileage in the summer.
"The Rams have done it and they just won a Super Bowl," Phillips said. "We're doing it here, and we're feeling pretty confident, feeling pretty fresh. … There's a lot of that coming and I think that's a fantastic thing for player health and safety."
