The Cincinnati Bengals have called off a trade to acquire edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick. The deal had been agreed upon but not finalized when the Bengals realized it would jeopardize a 2027 third-round compensatory pick they were projected to receive for losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency.
According to the NFL's compensatory pick formula, acquiring a player who signed as a compensatory free agent in the same league year counts as a compensatory free agent gained, which offsets compensatory losses. Ebiketie signed with the Eagles as a compensatory free agent this offseason, so adding him would have negated the Bengals' expected third-round pick.
The oversight was identified by compensatory pick analyst Nick Korte, who noted that the Bengals may have mistakenly believed guard Cordell Volson counted among their compensatory free agents lost. Volson has not played a snap this season and does not qualify, leaving the Bengals exposed to the penalty.
Bengals director of personnel Duke Tobin and the front office avoided the mistake by voiding the trade before it became official. Cincinnati, currently 6-2 and holding the No. 6 seed in the AFC wild card, had sought edge depth after rookie Cashius Howell went on injured reserve. Boye Mafe leads the team with 5.5 sacks, but no other edge rusher has more than two.
The Eagles, now 2-7, continue to sell assets. They recently traded defensive tackle Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick, and earlier sent center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.
