Bengals waive wide receiver Mitch Tinsley, adding another layer of roster competition

The Cincinnati Bengals have waived wide receiver Mitch Tinsley, according to a report from Yahoo Sports. The move puts Tinsley, who emerged as a standout during the 2025 preseason, into the waiver process and raises the question of whether another team will claim him before the Bengals finalize their active roster.

Tinsley’s NFL path with Cincinnati is notable for its speed. The report ties his early rise to how he performed in the Bengals’ 2025 preseason, when he was described as a star enough to help earn a spot on the club’s 53-man roster last season. That kind of leap, from training camp success to making the regular-season roster, can be difficult for young receivers, especially as teams adjust their receiving roles and route plans week to week.

The Yahoo account also suggests why the Bengals would move on now. It characterizes Tinsley’s play this year as “okay,” but not at the level the organization expects from some of the other young wide receivers competing for snaps. In practical terms, the waiver decision indicates that Cincinnati likely views the next tier of development as moving faster than Tinsley’s production.

For the receiving group, the waiver matters because it changes how the depth chart opens up at wide receiver. Even when a receiver remains on the fringe, roster spots are limited and teams must balance special teams value, route readiness, and consistency across camp and the early portion of the preseason. Moving a player through waivers is often a sign that the team believes its current mix gives it a better chance to win reps and create separation in practice and games.

Tinsley’s placement on waivers also creates a short-term storyline for the league. If he is unclaimed, he could land on a different status with Cincinnati, but the current report centers on the possibility of him being picked up elsewhere. For any team searching for additional depth, a waiver claim is a low-cost way to inventory a receiver who previously showed upside during a preseason stretch.

Heading into the next phase, what to watch is whether the Bengals bring in another receiver to fill the immediate gap in their plans, and whether the remaining young wideouts continue to separate in the roles that matter most to the coaching staff. If Cincinnati’s younger group keeps pushing, the waiver could be remembered less as an abrupt setback and more as part of the normal churn that shapes the Bengals’ passing attack for the season.

At the same time, there is still some uncertainty because the report does not provide the full internal rationale, such as specific practice grades or special teams usage, and it does not spell out the Bengals’ remaining receiver options. Confirmation from official league transaction reporting would help tighten the timeline around the waiver and any subsequent moves.