‘It was pretty much a no-brainer’ – Joe Burrow approves Bengals’ familiar solution to new problem
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is getting back Mitch Tinsley at wide receiver this week. Burrow made it clear how he feels about Tinsley being on the roster again.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is getting back Mitch Tinsley at wide receiver this week.
The Bengals signed Tinsley from the Houston Texans practice squad Tuesday after Colbie Young suffered a knee injury during Week 3’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Young started the game due to Andrei Iosivas going on the Reserve/Injured list a day beforehand.
Tinsley was originally cut by Cincinnati in August to fit both Iosivas and Young on the 53-man roster. He made a name for himself in 2025, showing out in the preseason and catching two touchdowns in the regular season. He’s now back in the offense as one of the top-four receivers, and Burrow approves.
“I thought it was pretty much a no-brainer,” Burrow told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “He played well for us last year and gave us some good reps. He made a lot of plays for us in his limited opportunities, so to take a guy like that back that we weren’t sure we were going to is good for the Bengals.”
Mitch Tinsley joins reformed committee approach in Bengals’ passing game
Iosivas’ thumb injury altered the Bengals’ game plan last week. Young played the first snap of the game, the only snap he took, but Dohnte Meyers was going to see plenty of reps in conjunction with him. Tight end Tanner Hudson was elevated from the practice squad, and starting TE Mike Gesicki was also a factor as he usually is.
Per Burrow, Tinsley appears to be Young’s replacement in the group to complement star wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
“We have plenty of guys that we feel comfortable with going out there,” Burrow said. “Kinda like we said last week, it’s going to be a by-committee thing, and it’ll be Mitch [Tinsley] and Dohnte [Meyers], obviously, but Tanner [Hudson] and Mike [Gesicki]ican fill those roles as well. So we got plenty of guys that we feel comfortable going out there in a lot of different personal packages against a lot of different looks.”
Meyers, Hudson, and Gesicki all caught at least two passes last Sunday. Gesicki had the most impactful reception as he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Burrow on a fourth-and-two early in the fourth quarter. He leads Cincinnati in slot receiving production with seven receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Tinsley isn’t much of an experienced slot receiver. 76% of his passing snaps last year for the Bengals were out wide. When he’s on the field against Jacksonville, we may see him on the outside with Ja’Marr Chase in the slot. 52 of Chase’s 185 receiving yards have come from the slot this year.
Whatever the plan ends up being, Tinsley is a known commodity in Cincy’s offense and can hit the ground running with Burrow under center. A no-brainer, indeed.
