This is Mason Kinsey’s time of year.
The wide receiver is one of the two players the Tennessee Titans (3-2) have designated as standard elevations from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1) at Nissan Stadium. Also designated was inside linebacker Joe Schobert.
The first NFL player to come out of Berry College, a Division III program in Georgia, Kinsey made his NFL debut last season in Week 7. That means if he plays against the Colts, his second game will come exactly 365 days after his first.
Kinsey’s added availability this week is a direct reaction to the fact that rookie wide receiver Kyle Philips was added to the injury report on Friday with a hamstring issue. Philips was listed as questionable.
Kinsey is primarily a slot receiver and can return punts, and those are the exact duties that Philips has performed in his four appearances this season.
In last season’s victory at Kansas City, he played just three snaps on offense and two on special teams. The only time he touched the ball was when he called for a fair catch on a punt.
Kinsey signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but failed to make the season-opening roster. He spent a short time that season on New England’s practice squad and then returned to the Titans at the start of 2021. He spent all of last season on the practice squad and got his chance to play as a standard elevation for the Kansas City game.
Schobert, a seventh-year veteran, was added to the practice squad in late September and has been a standard elevation for every game since. He made six tackles in 25 sacks at Indianapolis in Week 4 and then played sparingly the next week at Washington.
His availability is tied to the fact that starter Zach Cunningham will miss a third straight game with an elbow injury.
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