Bengals Withdrew From Arnold Ebiketie Trade to Avoid Pick Loss

Cincinnati backed out of a deal to acquire edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie from Philadelphia before Tuesday’s trade deadline after discovering the transaction would cost them a projected compensatory draft pick.

Head coach Zac Taylor addressed reporters on Wednesday to discuss the failed acquisition of Ebiketie from the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor delivered a message on behalf of director of player personnel Duke Tobin, who did not speak publicly.

Duke was very explicit with me when he came and spoke to me about how he wanted this portrayed.

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals head coach

Taylor added that he was “not comfortable doing it, but I’m going to do what he asked” regarding the explanation of the front office’s oversight.

The head coach also said that Tobin is really apologetic about the situation and wants to make clear that Philadelphia was a great trade partner, adding that the mistake was entirely on the Cincinnati end. The trade talks took up only a tiny fraction of the team’s schedule before the franchise ultimately decided to stand pat.

The Bengals initially agreed to send a 2027 sixth-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for the rotational edge defender. Cincinnati needed depth on the defensive line after Cashius Howell suffered a wrist injury that placed him on injured reserve.

However, the front office realized the trade carried hidden costs under the league’s compensatory pick rules. Acquiring Ebiketie, who signed with Philadelphia as a compensatory free agent this offseason, would have wiped out the projected third-round compensatory pick the Bengals are set to receive for losing Trey Hendrickson.

The calculation error came to light nationally when OverTheCap’s Nick Korte posted about the compensatory pick loss on social media. Confronted with the reality of surrendering both a sixth-round selection and a valuable third-round compensatory choice for a backup pass rusher, Cincinnati withdrew from the agreement.

While other AFC contenders such as Jacksonville, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Denver traded away picks in the first four rounds for veteran talent, the Bengals stood pat and made no in-season trades. Taylor said that the trade reversal required minimal attention from the coaching staff.

It doesn’t really matter to me. It probably took three minutes of my day yesterday away from watching tape. Got a lot of faith in how [the front office] operates and we’ll just move forward with it.

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals head coach

Cincinnati enters the weekend with a 6-2 record, off to its best start in 11 years, and prepares to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

Certainly have a ton of confidence in our front office and how they do things.

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals head coach

Taylor concluded by noting that the front office has “given us the players that have allowed us to be 6-2 right now and playing at such a high level.”