The Cincinnati Bengals have THE best wide receiver room in the NFL. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are about as good as it gets in terms of a one-two punch, but despite that, there are some developing issues at the position.
Before the loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it had already been announced that Andrei Iosivas would miss the game, as he was dealing with a thumb injury. He was placed on IR, which means he won't be back for a minimum of four games.
Furthermore, rookie receiver Colbie Young had to exit the Steelers game in the first quarter with a knee injury. Zac Taylor confirmed on Monday that Young would miss the next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, meaning the Bengals are very light in their receiver depth.
One beneficiary of the injuries is rookie wideout Dohnte Meyers, who found himself with an increased role against Pittsburgh, recording three receptions and five targets from Joe Burrow. Looking ahead to the weekend against the Jaguars, Meyers is expected to have an increased role again and should comfortably be the WR3 behind Chase and Higgins.
Meyers won't go unchallenged against the Jaguars
However, just as Meyers thought he had the WR3 spot locked up, the Bengals decided to make a roster move, and a very sensible one at that. Per Adam Schefter, Cincinnati is signing Mitchell Tinsley off the Texans' practice squad.
A return: Bengals are signing WR Mitch Tinsley off the Texans practice squad and on to their active roster. Tinsley was in Cincinnati’s camp this summer, but signed with Houston’s practice squad. And now he is back. pic.twitter.com/GaCUPEm1wM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2026
Tinsley was with the Bengals last season as a depth option and special teamer. He caught eight passes throughout the season for 116 yards and two touchdowns, proving to be a reliable weapon when called upon.
Considering that the only receivers that the Bengals had on the depth chart going into Sunday were Chase, Higgins and Meyers, picking up Tinsley was a great move. He knows the offense, knows the playbook, and shouldn't take long at all to re-adjust to Cincinnati - Especially when you consider he was in the Bengals' training camp this summer.
It is very much a situation of team over individuals; The Bengals needed another option for Burrow, especially with the danger that they could suffer even more injury problems at receiver (god forbid). But it is somewhat of a blow for Meyers, who will battle for snaps with Tinsley, although he should still be the third choice.
If Meyers really is as good as we saw in the preseason, then this will still be a great chance for him, but the Bengals are making sure that he'll only get the targets if he earns them, and rightly so.
Add us as a preferred source on Google