Bengals coach Zac Taylor acknowledges fault in failed trade for Eagles edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie

Taylor shared details Wednesday about how the process unfolded from the Bengals' perspective, reading a prepared statement from Tobin. "Duke was very explicit with me when he came and spoke to me about how he wanted this portrayed," Taylor said. "I'm not comfortable doing it, but I'm going to do what he asked."

Trade breakdown details

Tobin, the team's de facto general manager, said the Bengals underestimated the cost of replacing Cashius Howell and emphasized that Philadelphia was a willing trade partner. "We did make an effort to put some depth in there in place of Cashius [Howell]. As we got into it, obviously it was going to be a little more costly than we initially anticipated."

Compensatory pick issue

An initial report from NFL Network stated that the Bengals and Eagles decided on a deal that would send edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie to Cincinnati for a sixth-round pick in 2027. ESPN reported Wednesday, citing sources, that it became clear to the Bengals that they would need to give up a compensatory draft pick to finalize the trade, prompting Cincinnati to back out of the proposed deal.

Questions remain about when and how the Bengals realized they would have to surrender the compensatory pick, which was awarded after Cincinnati lost more qualifying free agents than it signed, including Trey Hendrickson.

Taylor's reaction

Taylor said he did not ask Tobin for details Tuesday because they did not matter to him. "I didn't even ask the question," Taylor noted. "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."

The Bengals defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL's first game in Madrid on Sunday to earn their fourth consecutive victory. Cincinnati hosts AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.