Game On: Sports News, Highlights & Commentary
If Mitchell Tinsley was on the Cincinnati Bengals‘ roster bubble heading into Monday night, he’s probably feeling pretty good about his chances of making the team after the way he played against the Washington Commanders.
The Bengals receiver put on a show in the second quarter catching five passes for 73 yards, including two leaping touchdown receptions that came just 20 seconds apart. Tinsley’s first score came with 34 seconds left in the second quarter when he caught a 13-yard bullet from Jake Browning.
After the Bengals kicked off to the Commanders, Cincinnati got the ball right back after linebacker Barrett Carter picked off Washington quarterback Sam Hartman. On the Bengals’ next offensive play, Browning found Tinsley for a second touchdown that might have been even more impressive than the first one.
Tinsley scored after making a 21-yard grab in the back of the end zone.
Overall, Tinsley caught five passes for 73 yards in the second quarter and they call came in the final seven minutes of the quarter.
Tinsley got some high praise from Joe Burrow, the team’s starting quarterback who was interviewed during the third quarter of the game.
“That guy has been making plays all camp,” Burrow told ESPN. “Hopefully, he’s secured a spot for us. … He’s a smart guy, knows all the positions. When you have a guy you can trust like that, it’s very valuable.”
The Bengals are loaded with talented receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but after his performance against Washington, Tinsley will likely be feeling very good about his chances of making the roster.
Heading into Monday’s game, a 31-17 victory for Cincinnati, Bengals coach Zac Taylor had taken notice of Tinsley in training camp.
“He’s just done everything he can,” Taylor said of Tinsley early in camp. “[He’s] a guy who comes in on the back end of the roster and when opportunity gets thrown his way, he knows where to line up, no questions asked. He’s where he needs to be. … He has just done a really good job of coming in and working.”
Tinsley has been a standout in training camp, which might be a shock to others, but it hasn’t been a shock to him.
“I always knew I could play. What I’m doing here is no surprise to me,” Tinsley said over the weekend, via the Bengals’ website. “It was more mental. Not letting outside factors affect my mindset. How I went about my day. Controlling what I can control and being in the moment. Sometimes you get to the point where it’s ‘I can’t make mistakes.’ Thinking too much.”
Tinsley’s performance on Monday came in the city where his NFL career started. The receiver originally signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2023. After two seasons in Washington, the receiver ended up leaving the Commanders to sign with the Bengals in February. The roster in Cincinnati is stacked at receiver, so there was never any guarantee that he would make the roster, but after Monday’s performance, it seems like a safe bet that Tinsley will be sticking around in 2025.
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