The Cincinnati Bengals have started slow in each of the last three seasons, which brought forward a new approach from head coach Zac Taylor.
The Bengals never played their top starts in the preseason, but Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and several others participated in all three preseason games to get their feet wet ahead of their Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns. In the process, one young player had a breakout performance against the Washington Commanders. Mitchell Tinsley caught five passes for 73 yards and two spectacular touchdowns, which caused many to believe he would become a huge part of the offense. However, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report warns everyone to slow down on that thought.
“Although Tinsley has proven he might have what it takes to become a productive NFL receiver with this stellar offseason performance, it’s going to be tough for the 25-year-old to climb high enough up the depth chart to move the needle,” Kay writes. “After agreeing to new deals with both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, Cincinnati’s brass effectively closed the door on any of their other receivers becoming fantasy assets barring injury. Even if one of the stars ahead of Tinsley gets sidelined for a stretch, there still won’t be enough looks for the breakout talent to become roster-worthy in most formats.”
“Not only are Chase and Higgins set to account for the lion’s share of Burrow’s looks, but he’ll also need to contend with Andre Iosivas, Jermaine Burton and Charlie Jones all a good bit ahead in Burrow’s pecking order.”
It’s good for the Bengals to know they have incredible depth that the position, but it does feel unlikely that Tinsley will be WR3 for Cincinnati due to all of the talent in front of him.
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