Bengals respond to latest injury by stealing back a familiar face only a month after they let him go
The Cincinnati Bengals are down another wide receiver this week thanks to Colbie Young’s knee injury. The quick solution became signing back Mitch Tinsley off the Houston Texans practice squad.
The Cincinnati Bengals are bringing back wide receiver Mitch Tinsley.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tinsley is being signed to Cincinnati’s active roster off of the Houston Texans practice squad.
Tinsley originally joined the Bengals in the beginning of the 2025 offseason, it was waived by the team during final cuts last month. Cincinnati couldn’t sign him back to its practice squad as he took a spot with the Texans instead. He spent the first three weeks of the regular season on the practice squad without being elevated once. Now he’s back on the Bengals’ 53-man roster, and it’s clear to see why.
Bengals fortify suddenly thin wide receiver room
Cincinnati waived Tinsley due to how deep it’s wide receiver room became. Fourth-round NFL Draft pick Colbie Young, former CFLer Dohnte Meyers, and late-2025 add Ke’Shawn Williams became the trio the Bengals wanted as reserves for the position, leaving Tinsley as the odd man out.
Fast forward a month. Starting slot receiver Andrei Iosivas is on the Reserve/Injured list expected to miss several games. Young has a knee injury that will keep him out for at least a week. Williams failed to deliver in his only game as an active player. Depth, all of a sudden, became a luxury Cincy no longer had.
You can argue Young was the main reason Tinsley was deemed expendable. Meyers and Williams were seen mainly as slot options who could return kicks. Tinsley’s main value is being a wideout. It makes sense that the Bengals turned to Tinsley the moment Young became unavailable.
New-look WR depth chart for Week 4
Cincinnati has dressed five WRs in each of its first three games. Tinsley gives them five to work with for Week 4’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Tee Higgins
- Dohnte Meyers
- Mitch Tinsley
- Ke’Shawn Williams
Meyers should be expected to start, but Tinsley’s knowledge of playbook after spending 18 of the last 19 months in the building should allow him to see the field Sunday. Williams will come off the bench if necessary.
