'Hopefully he secured a spot for us' — Joe Burrow endorses promising roster candidate during Bengals' preseason win over Commanders

Snagging two highlight-reel touchdowns will get you praise from the star quarterback, but sandwiched between the fodder sounded a lot like a statement for the coaching staff. If Burrow wants a receiver to make the initial 53-man roster, it's a pretty strong reason to keep that guy around.

The good news for Tinsley is there's room for him. The top five of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones, and Jermaine Burton are set, with maybe Burton falling to No. 6 because of someone like Tinsley continuing to show up and make plays.

"Baller," head coach Zac Taylor said of Tinsley after the game. "He just works hard. He's become a guy that everybody really respects in the locker room. I don't know if I've ever heard him speak, but he just goes out there and just works. And we respect that, and he created the opportunities for himself. He's done enough in practice to where we wanted to put him in positions to be at the point of attack when he was in the game there, and he rewarded himself with touchdowns and catches and extending drives, and someone that's reliable for quarterbacks, and for all of us."

Tinsley will surely get more chances this Saturday in the preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. Another solid outing could ensure Burrow gets what he wants.