But Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had no problem making Tinsley's return to Washington a big deal when he made him and linebacker Joe Giles-Harris the game captains for their terrific camps at the back of the roster.
"(Tinsley) has become a guy that everybody really respects in the locker room. He just goes out there and works, and we respect that," Taylor said. "He created the opportunities for himself. He's done enough in practice to where we wanted to put him in the positions to be at the point of attack when he was in the game there. He rewarded himself with touchdowns, catches and extending drives."
The crowning moment of his night may have come when he was trusted enough to run with quarterback Joe Burrow in the third drive of the game. Then, when Burrow was asked if he thought Tinsley made the club, No. 9 said, "I hope so."
BARRETT CENTER: The Bengals have some issues with their No. 1 defense when they allowed three runs of at least 14 yards on seven plays.
They appeared to have some problems at the second level, but not so the backups, where fourth-round pick Barrett Carter roamed for a team-high seven tackles at linebacker, as well as an interception in the last minute of the first half to set up Tinsley's second touchdown with 14 seconds left.
Carter, known as a wicked pass defender at Clemson, said it helped that he had played Commanders quarterback Sam Huffman twice against Wake Forest and once against Notre Dame.
"I kind of remember playing him in college, taking notes about him in college, it translates," Carter said. "Whatever my role looks like for this team, I can live with the results. I just want to help us win games. Whatever that looks like for me, I'm OK with it."
On Monday, that looked like a steady hand as he led the team in tackles while playing 56% of the plays on 29 snaps. After Washington had those two quick scores against the Ones, the backups allowed just a field goal and 152 yards the rest of the way.
Carter played 56% of the snaps on 29 plays, and he underscored the importance of his interception and the one by safety Tycen Anderson. Carter's pick set up seven quick points. Anderson made his near his own goal line.
"AG (defensive coordinator Al Golden) has been hammering to get the ball out and get the ball back for our offense," Carter said. "The fact that we were plus-two in the (turnover) margin tonight, that's playing winning football. We just have to keep building on that. Keep getting the ball back for our offense because they can do a lot of special things."