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By Ellis Williams
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The Cincinnati Bengals’ trade for Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie has fallen through, ending a reported deal just hours before the NFL trade deadline.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Tuesday that the move would not happen, reversing his earlier report that Cincinnati was finalizing an agreement to address its need for help on the edge.
The reversal leaves the Bengals looking elsewhere if they want to strengthen their pass rush before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, while Ebiketie remains with Philadelphia.
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“The trade falling through is not physical or performance related,” Schultz wrote, citing sources.
He did not identify the reason the deal collapsed. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had reported that Cincinnati would send a 2027 sixth-round pick to Philadelphia for Ebiketie. Those were the reported terms of the proposed deal, which Schultz’s subsequent update said would not go ahead.
The potential cost had drawn attention beyond that sixth-round selection. Over The Cap contributor Nick Korte noted that acquiring Ebiketie, who signed with Philadelphia as a compensatory free agent, would affect Cincinnati’s compensatory-pick calculation.
Korte’s analysis projected that the Bengals would lose a 2027 third-round compensatory selection tied to Trey Hendrickson’s departure for Baltimore. That raised the stakes of a move initially reported as costing only a late-round pick. Schultz’s report did not establish that the compensatory-pick implications caused the deal to fall apart.
Cincinnati has a clear need for depth at the position. The Bengals placed rookie defensive end Cashius Howell on injured reserve with a wrist injury on Nov. 3. Howell had appeared in the team’s first seven games, recording six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.
Ebiketie would have offered an experienced option for that rotation. The 27-year-old has 25 tackles in nine games this season, although he has not recorded a sack. He had six sacks in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Atlanta before finishing with two in 2025.
Philadelphia signed him to a one-year contract in March after he spent his first four NFL seasons with the Falcons. Atlanta selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft following a college career at Temple and Penn State.
For the Bengals, the immediate issue is replacing the depth Howell’s injury removed without giving up more future draft value than they are willing to spend. For the Eagles, who are 2-7, the reported reversal means a move that would have added a future pick is off the board as the deadline approaches.
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