Kinsey Set to Make NFL Debut

NASHVILLE – Mason Kinsey is in line make his NFL debut Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans designated the groundbreaking wide receiver as a standard elevation to the active roster off their practice squad Saturday, one day before they face the Kansas City Chiefs at Nissan Stadium.

“A lot of early mornings and late nights for this,” he wrote on Twitter. “I trusted his plan. Thank you God.”

The move means he will automatically revert to the practice squad on Monday, but he should get the chance to show what he can do on Sunday.

Cornerback Chris Jones also was named a standard elevation from the practice squad.

It is likely that Kinsey’s primary responsibility will be as punt returner given that Chester Rogers has been ruled out for the game with a groin injury. Rogers is the only player who has returned punts for the Titans this season, and he ranks fourth in the league with an average of 12.0 yards per return.

However, there also should be plenty of opportunity for Kinsey, 23, to play on offense as well. Rogers and Cameron Batson, who was placed on injured reserve Monday with a season-ending knee injury, have been the Titans’ primary slot receivers this season, and that is a position at which Kinsey got plenty of work during the preseason.

Kinsey was the first player from Division III Berry College to sign an NFL contract when he joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He did two stints on New England’s practice squad during that season before he returned to Tennessee during the offseason.

He was the Titans’ leading receiver in the preseason with 14 catches for 131 yards and one touchdown (no one else caught more than six passes). He also returned one punt for 11 yards.

“I never really lost focus. I knew I was at a D-III school and it was going to take a lot,” Kinsey said during the preseason. “I just stayed laser-focused on that. I knew what it was going to take, and I knew kind of how I had to approach it. That was my mindset.

“… I’ve grown a lot. It’s been exciting, man. It’s been everything I’ve dreamed of. I love this place. I love this team.”