--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/AutoFitTabsGridLayout.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/AutoFitTabsGridLayout.java
@@ -38,17 +38,17 @@ class AutoFitTabsGridLayout extends Tabs
     }
 
     private void updateSpacingDecoration(int horizontalItemSpacing) {
         if (spacingDecoration != null) {
             removeItemDecoration(spacingDecoration);
         }
         spacingDecoration = new GridSpacingDecoration(horizontalItemSpacing, verticalItemPadding);
         addItemDecoration(spacingDecoration);
-        updateSelectedPosition();
+        scrollSelectedTabToTopOfTray();
     }
 
     @Override
     public void onSizeChanged(int w, int h, int oldw, int oldh) {
         super.onSizeChanged(w, h, oldw, oldh);
 
         if (w == oldw) {
             return;

--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsLayout.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsLayout.java
@@ -7,16 +7,17 @@ package org.mozilla.gecko.tabs;
 
 import org.mozilla.gecko.R;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.Tab;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.Tabs;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.widget.RecyclerViewClickSupport;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.res.TypedArray;
+import android.support.v7.widget.LinearLayoutManager;
 import android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView;
 import android.util.AttributeSet;
 import android.view.View;
 import android.widget.Button;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 
 import static org.mozilla.gecko.Tab.TabType;
@@ -105,17 +106,17 @@ public abstract class TabsLayout extends
 
         switch (msg) {
             case ADDED:
                 int tabIndex = Integer.parseInt(data);
                 tabIndex = tabIndex == Tabs.NEW_LAST_INDEX ? tabsAdapter.getItemCount() : tabIndex;
                 tabsAdapter.notifyTabInserted(tab, tabIndex);
                 if (addAtIndexRequiresScroll(tabIndex)) {
                     // (The SELECTED tab is updated *after* this call to ADDED, so don't just call
-                    // updateSelectedPosition().)
+                    // scrollSelectedTabToTopOfTray().)
                     scrollToPosition(tabIndex);
                 }
                 break;
 
             case CLOSED:
                 if (tab.isPrivate() == isPrivate && tabsAdapter.getItemCount() > 0) {
                     tabsAdapter.removeTab(tab);
                 }
@@ -163,38 +164,43 @@ public abstract class TabsLayout extends
         closeTab(view);
     }
 
     @Override
     public boolean onItemMove(int fromPosition, int toPosition) {
         return tabsAdapter.moveTab(fromPosition, toPosition);
     }
 
-    /** Updates the selected position in the list so that it will be scrolled to the right place. */
-    protected void updateSelectedPosition() {
+    /**
+     * Scroll the selected tab to the top of the tray.
+     * One of the motivations for scrolling to the top is so that, as often as possible, if we open
+     * a background tab from the selected tab, when we return to the tabs tray the new tab will be
+     * visible for selecting without requiring additional scrolling.
+     */
+    protected void scrollSelectedTabToTopOfTray() {
         final int selected = getSelectedAdapterPosition();
         if (selected != NO_POSITION) {
-            scrollToPosition(selected);
+            ((LinearLayoutManager)getLayoutManager()).scrollToPositionWithOffset(selected, 0);
         }
     }
 
     private void refreshTabsData() {
         // Store a different copy of the tabs, so that we don't have to worry about
         // accidentally updating it on the wrong thread.
         final ArrayList<Tab> tabData = new ArrayList<>();
         final Iterable<Tab> allTabs = Tabs.getInstance().getTabsInOrder();
 
         for (final Tab tab : allTabs) {
             if (tab.isPrivate() == isPrivate && tab.getType() == type) {
                 tabData.add(tab);
             }
         }
 
         tabsAdapter.setTabs(tabData);
-        updateSelectedPosition();
+        scrollSelectedTabToTopOfTray();
     }
 
     private void closeTab(View view) {
         final TabsLayoutItemView itemView = (TabsLayoutItemView) view;
         final Tab tab = getTabForView(itemView);
         if (tab == null) {
             // We can be null here if this is the second closeTab call resulting from a sufficiently
             // fast double tap on the close tab button.