The Cincinnati Bengals tried to trade for Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie on Tuesday morning before the NFL trade deadline passed. Cincinnati backed out because it hadn’t accounted for how the deal would impact the compensatory pick formula.

The trade died, but the reason behind it is now out in the open.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor spoke to reporters Wednesday afternoon and tied the pursuit directly to the wrist injury Cashius Howell suffered in Week 8.

“We did make an effort to kind of put some depth in there in place of Cashius,” Taylor said. “As we got into it, obviously it was going to be a little more costly than we initially anticipated.”

Why the Bengals backed out of the Arnold Ebiketie trade

The cost Taylor referenced wasn’t what the Bengals would have sent to Philadelphia. Trading for Ebiketie would likely have wiped out Cincinnati’s chances of receiving a third-round compensatory pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The Bengals are scheduled to earn that pick in March after losing edge rusher Trey Hendrickson in free agency last offseason. Adding Ebiketie would have thrown that calculation off.

The Eagles weren’t getting a third-round pick in return. Even so, Cincinnati would have lost one if the trade had gone through. The club determined it would’ve been too steep a price for Howell’s replacement.

The Bengals ultimately didn’t want Ebiketie if it meant giving up what may end up being the 97th pick in next year’s draft. That they only figured it out mid-negotiation is a story of regret, but it’s now behind them. What isn’t is the issue that hasn’t gone away.

Bengals’ lack of EDGE depth still lingers

Even with the deal falling through, the intent was clear. The Bengals identified depth at EDGE as a need, and that need is still sitting there today.

Howell is on the Reserve/Injured list for at least the next three games. Taylor also indicated his absence will stretch beyond that.

Cincinnati’s first game without Howell came Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Myles Murphy played nearly 90% of the team’s snaps. Backups Shemar Stewart and Cedric Johnson played just 23 snaps combined.

The desire to add Ebiketie, in my opinion, isn’t a good sign for how Cincinnati feels about Stewart and Johnson picking up the slack.

If the Bengals were comfortable with their internal options, they wouldn’t have been shopping for an edge rusher hours before the deadline. They also could have promoted Isaiah Foskey from the practice squad to the active roster, and they didn’t even do that.

Instead, they went outside the building for help. They pulled back only because of a compensatory pick issue they hadn’t anticipated, not because they suddenly felt better about the room.

Murphy can’t keep playing 90% of the snaps without that workload catching up to him. Stewart and Johnson will have to earn more trust quickly, or the Bengals will need to find another answer that doesn’t touch their 2027 draft capital.

Cincinnati isn’t satisfied with its options to replace Howell’s snaps. Not honestly, anyways. Tuesday’s attempted trade proved it, and Taylor’s comments Wednesday confirmed it. How the Bengals handle that problem with Howell sidelined for the foreseeable future remains to be seen.