Facing a depleted receiving corps, Cincinnati reunites with a former preseason standout to bolster Joe Burrow’s aerial attack as injuries threaten to derail the team’s offensive momentum.
The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed former Cincinnati wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley off the Houston Texans' practice squad, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Tinsley exploded in last year's preseason, earning a roster spot with the Bengals. He posted eight receptions in 17 games for 116 yards and two scores last season. Tinsley excelled in contested catches and had a season-long 27-yard catch against the Chicago Bears last year.
Tinsley didn’t make the team after Colbie Young and Dohnte Meyers emerged in training camp this summer, especially Meyers, who had three catches in Cincinnati’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meyers is a former CFL player who was a great story this past training camp, cashing in on a lottery ticket to possibly make an NFL active roster.
Young was drafted out of Georgia in the fourth round and immediately showed his size-and-speed combination, making big plays and showing he could be a future top wide receiver for Cincinnati.
However, Young recently went down with a knee injury and has already been ruled out for Week 4; he's not expected to end up on IR, so he won’t miss extended time. Andrei Iosivas suffered a thumb injury in Week 2 and was placed on IR, so two of the Bengals’ more important receivers will not be active in Week 4.
Tinsley’s addition is big for the Bengals’ receiver depth, as Cincinnati will try to duplicate their Week 3 offensive performance, which saw Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins have a ton of success through the air in Pittsburgh.
Burrow threw for 282 yards and three scores in a 30-27 loss, fumbling on the last play and giving the win to the Steelers. Despite going more under center and trying to develop a play-action game, the rushing attack hasn't been as successful as expected, as the Bengals rank 27th in the league in rushing yards per game.
The Jaguars' defense has shown some holes, as they are currently the No. 24 team in the league in passing yards allowed per game, giving up 235.7 yards per game even after shutting down Drake Maye and only allowing 199 yards in the blowout win against the Patriots this past weekend.
Tinsley steps in immediately and will compete with Dohnte Meyers for snaps, entering as the No. 4 receiver on the depth chart heading into Sunday. Many people were surprised when Tinsley was cut after training camp; now he gets his chance to prove he can compete in the Bengals’ offense.
