The Bengals got a boost at a spot that had thinned out fast over the last two weeks, and Joe Burrow didn’t waste any time explaining why he liked the move.
With Andrei Iosivas on injured reserve and rookie Colbie Young already ruled out for this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati brought back Mitchell Tinsley after a brief stint away. Tinsley had been cut after the preseason, then chose to join the Houston Texans practice squad before the Bengals pulled him back onto the active roster.
Burrow called the move an easy one on Wednesday.
“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.”
What makes Tinsley useful is the kind of catch radius he brings on the boundary. That skill set gives Cincinnati more flexibility, including the ability to slide Ja’Marr Chase into the slot, where he can be a nightmare for defenses.
There’s also movement at another spot in the secondary. Dax Hill appears headed for another run as the slot corner, which is the role he handled most of Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jalen Davis is out, and with Ja’Sir Taylor also sidelined, Hill is the next man up. That setup also means rookie Tacario Davis may have to adjust faster than the Bengals likely expected, since he’ll probably be asked to work at boundary corner.
The team also brought wideout and returner Ke’Shawn Williams back to the practice squad. That was part of the usual roster juggling, though his case took a hit after a rough day as a returner.
He tried to reverse field on a kick return in a play that went nowhere, and later muffed a punt late in the game. Those are the kinds of mistakes that can quickly cost a return man his spot.
Safety is another area Cincinnati will be watching closely by Sunday. Kyle Dugger is already out, while Bryan Cook and Jordan Battle were both limited on Wednesday. Cook also left Sunday’s game a few times while trying to play through his injury, so the Bengals will be monitoring that situation closely.
After the Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys for second- and sixth-round picks, the Bengals still remain in the Top 10. The loss to Pittsburgh was a rough one for the defense, but the bigger issue was the 10 points created by avoidable special teams mistakes. Cincinnati had enough talent to win the game, but the Steelers’ offense rolling the way it did made the result look worse than it had to.
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