ClutchPoints
Did the Cincinnati Bengals discover a new weapon? Mitchell Tinsley emerged on Monday night in Washington D.C. Scoring twice on the Commanders during NFL Preseason action — and sparking lots of online reactions.
The Bengals first made this statement with Tinsley: Unveiling him as a captain. He walked onto the FedEx Field grass ready to face the team that cut him last season. Tinsley then stretched his arms out and adjusted to this touchdown grab to put the Bengals ahead.
BIG MITCHELL IN THE END ZONE#CINvsWAS on @espn pic.twitter.com/BeEHMkguXZ
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 19, 2025
But he wasn’t through from there. Jake Browning found him again. Tinsley trusted his hops and hands to reel in touchdown No. 2.
MITCHELL TINSLEY AGAIN FOR THE TD
pic.twitter.com/gAW9uDSDzh— NFL on ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsNFL) August 19, 2025
Tinsley pulled off both catches on a night Joe Burrow struggled with the Commanders’ pass rush. But the 25-year-old sparked lots of national reactions for his breakout night.
The 2023 undrafted rookie got targeted five times. He caught all five passes for 73 yards with the touchdowns.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter raved about Tinsley.
“Mitchell Tinsley earning a roster spot tonight,” Schefter posted on X (formerly Twitter).
DraftKings even compared the Browning/Tinsley collaboration to this famed NFL duo from the late 2000s.
Jake Browning to Mitchell Tinsley tonight pic.twitter.com/wCPGI0Eq8H
— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) August 19, 2025
But even Burrow himself got honest about Tinsley. Sharing this big statement with ESPN Monday Night Football sideline reporter Laura Rutledge.
“Hopefully he secured a [roster] spot,” Burrow began to Rutledge. “That guy’s been making plays all camp. He’s a guy that you can count on. He’s a smart guy and knows all the positions. A guy you can trust like that is very valuable.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound wideout played three collegiate seasons for Western Kentucky and then Penn State. He lured in 87 catches for 1,402 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in 2021. He later transferred to the Nittany Lions — catching 51 passes for 577 yards and scoring five touchdowns in 2022.
Tinsley even went the junior college route — playing for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas to begin his collegiate career. He landed at WKU during the truncated 2020 season.
Again, he went undrafted in April 2024 before landing on the Commanders’ practice squad following ’24 NFL Training Camp. He signed a futures contract with the Bengals on Feb. 4. Now he put the league, and his former team, on notice by starring on MNF.
The post Bengals fans rave over Mitchell Tinsley’s 2 TD preseason performance appeared first on ClutchPoints.
