Vikings wish injured Lewis Cine a happy 23rd birthday, optimistic about return to field in 2023

Wednesday was Lewis Cine’s 23rd birthday, and the Vikings did what they could to lift the spirits of the injured rookie safety.

Cine, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in Sunday’s 28-25 win over New Orleans in London and remains at Cleveland Clinic London following surgery Tuesday, spoke to the team on a Zoom call during a meeting.

“It was emotional,’’ said safety Josh Metellus. “It was good to see him smile. It was more happy than anything. We sang him happy birthday as a team.”

Cine underwent what the Vikings called “successful” surgery to repair a compound fracture in his lower left leg. Head coach Kevin O’Connell expects he will return to Minnesota in the “later part of the week.”

Sources said Monday that Cine would be on a path to return in 2023 if the surgery went well and no infection set in. O’Connell was reluctant before the surgery to speculate on Cine’s future but said Wednesday there is optimism he will play next season.

“I believe so, I really do,’’ O’Connell said. “I don’t want to get too far out in front of myself medically speaking, but just the tissue around where the fracture was and the fact we’ve been able to kind of limit any of the post-injury damage that can sometimes take place with an open wound like that, I know they feel great about the work that was done.”

O’Connell said Cine was surprised that he ended up talking Wednesday to the entire team.

“He thought it was just going to be me,’’ O’Connell said. “I think he probably thought something was up when we had him downloading Zoom on his phone, but it was a special moment in our team-meeting setting to be able to get his face up on the screen. The guys went crazy.”

Cornerback Patrick Peterson said it was “pretty cool” seeing Cine in good spirits on the call.

“Obviously, it’s a bummer he has to spend his birthday on a bed after surgery, but he has a great support staff,’’ Peterson said. “His brothers are here. We’re here when he gets back. We’ll give him a great big hug.’’

Cine has family members and at least one of his agents who have traveled to London. There also are Vikings staff members who remained behind. O’Connell said the group won’t return on a commercial flight but that there is an NFL program that will provide transportation on a private flight.

O’Connell was Washington’s quarterbacks coach in 2018 when quarterback Alex Smith suffered a horrific broken leg that led to him needing 17 surgeries and sitting out in 2019 before he returned for a final NFL season in 2020. O’Connell said Smith’s injury has weighed on him “quite a bit,” but he didn’t want to compare that experience to Cine’s serious injury.

“Step one is getting (Cine) fixed up and making sure we handle all the precautionary procedures that would only enhance his ability to have a great early part to his recovery,’’ O’Connell said.

ROSTER MOVES

The Vikings officially signed nose tackle Khyiris Tonga on Wednesday, a day after plucking him off Atlanta’s practice squad.

To make room on the 53-man roster, the Vikings waived linebacker Ryan Connelly a day after they activated him off the physically unable to perform list (PUP). It remains to be seen if Connelly, an Eden Prairie native, will join the practice squad if he clears waivers.

The Vikings also signed safety Mike Brown to the practice squad and announced the return to practice of receiver Blake Proehl, who remains on the PUP list. Proehl, like Connelly, suffered a torn ACL last year.

Brown, an undrafted rookie, was with Minnesota until being waived after the preseason. He will provide depth following Cine’s injury.

Leading into Sunday’s game against Chicago at U.S. Bank Stadium, nose tackle Harrison Phillips said the Vikings will pick the brain of Tonga, a seventh-round pick by the Bears in 2021 who was waived by them in August.

Tonga went through practice Wednesday. Rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., who has missed the last three games with a quadriceps injury, returned to practice on a limited basis. Also limited was edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, who played just 24 snaps against the Saints after suffering a left knee injury Sept. 25 against Detroit.

COUSINS ON DARRISAW

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins joked about tackle Christian Darrisaw’s snoring on the flight to London.

“He was sawing logs and it was hard for me to sleep,” Cousins said. “We landed in London and Za’Darius goes, ‘C.D., I thought that was the plane (making noise)”’

Cousins said Darrisaw on the flight home “did a lot better” and that running back Dalvin Cook told him, “Great, job, C.D., you didn’t wake the whole team.”’

Cousins said he calls Darrisaw “Crime Dog,” because of his C.D. initials and because that was the nickname of former first baseman Fred McGriff. He said the nickname came about when he saw on the U.S. Bank Stadium scoreboard that Darrisaw played first base when he was 10 and thought it was funny because “that’s the best stat we can get on” him.

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