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Bengals take responsibility for botched NFL trade with Eagles: ‘It was on our end’
The Bengals apologised to the Eagles after withdrawing from an agreed trade for edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, saying they had misjudged the deal’s effect on their future draft picks. The episode matters because Cincinnati’s error angered Philadelphia and raised questions about the Bengals’ trade planning as they pursue a strong season.
Coach Zac Taylor delivered the apology on behalf of director of player personnel Duke Tobin, saying the trade had proved more costly than expected and that “it was on our end”. Ebiketie, who had no sacks in nine games, was to go to Cincinnati for a sixth-round pick; because Philadelphia had signed him as a compensatory free agent, the move could have cost the Bengals a 2027 third-round compensatory pick linked to the loss of Trey Hendrickson. Cincinnati, 6-2 and level with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North, made no other deadline acquisitions and was preparing for a game that could affect the division race and its seeding.
In short
- Cincinnati withdrew from an agreed trade for Arnold Ebiketie.
- The deal could have cost the Bengals a 2027 third-round compensatory pick.
- Zac Taylor apologised to Philadelphia on the front office’s behalf.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Cincinnati’s withdrawal can be defended as prudent once the club realised the deal might jeopardise a valuable future compensatory pick. Ebiketie’s modest production made that potential cost harder to justify, and correcting a planning mistake before it became binding could protect the team’s longer-term roster building.
The case against
The Eagles had agreed to the trade and could reasonably see Cincinnati’s late withdrawal as damaging to trust and disruptive to their own planning. The Bengals’ failure to assess the draft-pick consequences beforehand also invites criticism of their preparation, especially when the deal involved only a sixth-round pick and the team was pursuing a strong season.