Bengals Call Off Arnold Ebiketie Trade With Eagles to Keep Compensatory Pick
Cincinnati backs out of the agreed deal for a 2027 sixth-round pick after learning it would have cost a third-round compensatory selection
The Bengals have called off their agreed trade for Eagles edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported, to keep a compensatory draft pick they would have lost if the deal had become official.
The #Bengals have now called off this trade with an eye toward keeping a future comp pick they would've lost with this deal. Agreement was reached, but not official.View on X →
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): The #Bengals have now called off this trade with an eye toward keeping a future comp pick they would've lost with this deal. Agreement was reached, but not official.
Cincinnati had agreed earlier Tuesday to send Philadelphia a 2027 sixth-round pick for the 27-year-old pass rusher, a deal Rapoport first reported and ESPN confirmed. An agreement was reached, Rapoport said, but the trade never became official. NBC Sports reported that completing it would have cost the Bengals the third-round compensatory pick they are in line to receive after Trey Hendrickson signed with the Ravens in free agency. CBS Sports reported the collapse was not due to a failed physical or concerns about Ebiketie's performance.
That change in price turned a modest rental into a much steeper one. Ebiketie, the No. 38 overall pick out of Penn State in 2022, has 16.5 career sacks, most of them from a rotational role with the Falcons. He is in the final year of a one-year contract worth up to $7.3 million and has 25 tackles and two quarterback hits in nine games this season, with no sacks. Cincinnati is 6-2 after four straight wins, tied with Pittsburgh for first in the AFC North, and had been looking for edge depth after rookie Cashius Howell had wrist surgery and was likely headed to injured reserve. The Bengals still host the Steelers on Sunday night, now without that extra body on the edge.
There is no indication the teams are reworking the deal. The problem was not the sixth-round pick headed to Philadelphia; acquiring Ebiketie at all would have wiped out the compensatory selection. Ebiketie remains with the Eagles, who are 2-7 after a seven-game losing streak and already traded defensive tackle Jordan Davis to the Jaguars on Monday. The Eagles are on a bye this week and return Nov. 22 against the Steelers. Tuesday's NFL trade deadline is still set for 1 p.m. PT.