The Bengals are making a move at the deadline, and it’s one aimed squarely at shoring up the edges of their roster.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Cincinnati is trading a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Eagles for edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie. Rapoport reported, “Sources: The Eagles aren't done, trading edge Arnold Ebiketie to the Bengals in exchange for 2027 6th round pick,”
It’s not the kind of splashy deal that changes the conversation around the league, but it does give Cincinnati another body at a premium spot. After a big Week 9 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Bengals had reason to be active at the deadline, even if their recent track record suggested otherwise. They did not make a move in 2025, and their only addition in 2024 was Khalil Herbert.
Ebiketie fits as a depth piece, and that’s the point. Cincinnati’s current edge group includes Boye Mafe, Cedric Johnson, Myles Murphy, and Shemar Stewart, with Cashius Howell on injured reserve and expected to miss time. That makes the rotation thinner than the Bengals would like, especially with Stewart’s production not living up to expectations so far.
Ebiketie has spent this season in a reserve role with Philadelphia, appearing in nine games without a start. He hasn’t recorded a sack this year, but he does have 25 tackles and two quarterback hits.
Across five NFL seasons, including his first four with the Falcons, Ebiketie has 16.5 sacks, 43 quarterback hits and 17 tackles for loss.
For Cincinnati, this is a low-cost rental at a position where extra help always matters. The price is modest, and the fit is straightforward: add another rotational edge rusher and keep the depth chart from getting any thinner.
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Bengals Edge Pursuit Collapsed Over A Cost Fans Never Saw Coming
The Bengals spent part of their edge-rusher search trying to work out a deal for Arnold Ebiketie, but the path to getting him from Philadelphia never got close to simple. Cincinnati was willing to send a 2027 sixth-round pick, yet the real issue was not the price on the trade itself. It was the draft capital the club could have put at risk down the road, a complication that turned a relatively modest swap into a much bigger decision for the front office.
Ebiketies status with the Eagles created the kind of compensatory-pick wrinkle teams spend months trying to avoid, and the Bengals ultimately decided the cost was too steep. As a result, Cincinnati will not land Ebiketie and is unlikely to chase any player who came off the board as a compensatory free agent this offseason. For a team still looking to strengthen its pass rush, it is another reminder that roster-building is not always about what a player costs today, but what he might cost later. [Read more 🡒]
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With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the Bengals are weighing more than just whether to add help on defense. The bigger question may be whether Al Golden can get more out of the pieces already in place, or whether Cincinnati needs to look outside the building for a fix. That leaves the defense at a crossroads, with the front office, coaching staff and current roster all part of the same conversation.
At the center of it is Demetrius Knight Jr., whose early stretch has been uneven enough to force a closer look at how he is being used. His issues in run support and coverage have stood out, but the Bengals also see a player who can affect the pocket in the right situations. If Golden is going to squeeze more production out of this unit, the answer may lie in a system tweak that better fits Knight and the rest of the linebacking group rather than waiting for a deadline move to solve everything. [Read more 🡒]
Dexter Lawrence Just Added To Bengals Fans Joe Burrow Hype
Dexter Lawrence has wasted little time settling in with the Bengals since arriving from the Giants in April, and he has already found a way to add to the buzz around Joe Burrow. The three-time Pro Bowler has been openly complimentary of Burrow, saying he respects what the quarterback has done and wants to see him keep pushing the offense forward.
For Cincinnati fans, it is another reminder that Burrows strong play is not just carrying the team through its recent winning stretch, it is also earning the admiration of accomplished players around him. Lawrences message has been simple and confident, matching the tone around a quarterback who has looked every bit like the centerpiece of the Bengals season. [Read more 🡒]