Just an hour after news broke that the Eagles were trading edge Arnold Ebiketie to the Bengals, Cincinnati has cancelled the move after re-considering how it would impact their compensatory draft picks next year.
The initial trade terms were:
Eagles: EDGE Arnold Ebiketie
Bengals: 6th round pick in 2027
The problem, however, is that Ebiketie was signed by the Eagles as a compensatory free agent, which means the Bengals would ultimately be giving up their comp pick from trading Trey Hendrickson during
the offseason. So while on paper they were only trading a sixth-rounder, they really were giving up a third-round pick as well — notably, it’s interesting the Bengals hadn’t considered this factor before agreeing to terms…
There’s still several hours until the NFL trade deadline, but for now, Ebiketie will stay in Philadelphia — and will stay knowing he was someone the team was willing to move. The trade indicated that the Eagles are likely committing to Nolan Smith long term, and with Jonathan Greenard healthy, Ebiketie’s playing time was already reduced.
