Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor gestures during a press conference after an NFL football game against Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026.
Manu Fernandez / AP
Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed Wednesday, Nov. 11, that the organization had to back out of a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday and shared that director of player personnel Duke Tobin was “really apologetic about it.”
The Bengals had agreed to a deal that would have sent a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the Eagles in exchange for edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie; however, the trade became “too costly” once the organization learned it would also mean losing its 2027 third-round compensatory pick from Trey Hendrickson’s departure.
Local media’s requests to speak to Tobin on Tuesday were declined. Taylor held his regularly-scheduled press conference Wednesday and answered questions instead.
“We tried something yesterday,” Taylor said. “Duke was very explicit with me when he came and spoke to me about how he wanted this portrayed. I’m not comfortable doing it, but I’m going to do what he asked.
“We did make an effort to put some depth in there in place of Cashius (Howell). As we got into it, obviously it was going to be a little more costly than we initially anticipated. He’s really apologetic about it and wants to make clear (that) Philly was a great trade partner. It was on our end. That’s just the way things go. Certainly, have a ton of confidence in our front office and how they do things. They’ve given us the players that have allowed us to be 6-2 right now and playing at such a high level. We’ll put that behind us and move forward and just get excited for this game on Sunday, and our locker room is in a great place right now.”
Taylor said he’s still “got a lot of faith” in the front office. He had insisted in multiple press conferences leading up to the trade deadline Tuesday that he was happy with his roster as it stood, and Taylor’s tone has not changed in that regard.
The Bengals had emphasized during the offseason the importance of defensive line depth, and Howell’s broken wrist, which required surgery Nov. 1, has him on injured reserve and out indefinitely. Although a return this season has not been ruled out for Howell, the rookie second-round draft pick had proven an effective pass rusher and Ebiketie would have been a similar type of player to fill a role as a rotational piece.
“I really like where we’re at,” Taylor said. “I think Duke really likes where we’re at, and I think if you talk to the players in the locker room, they really like where we’re at. This is a team with a lot of confidence right now. I know it’s a fun period of time, the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, for fans and able to generate a lot of media attention off of it, but the truth is, we do really like where we’re at. Our guys are playing at a high level, we have confidence, we’re just going to continue moving forward. We’ve got a huge one this week, and we’re not going to have any distraction around that.”
Taylor said the front office approached the coaching staff yesterday about the possible trade to get input, and it took about three minutes of his day and then he moved on to preparing for Sunday night’s AFC North showdown with Pittsburgh (6-2).
The organization is always looking for ways to improve and scouring the waiver wire and practice squads to pluck additions, Taylor noted; however, trades are the biggest way to add more significant contributors.
Several other teams in the AFC took advantage of those opportunities, including Jacksonville acquiring safety Jessie Bates and defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux. Cincinnati was comfortable standing pat.
“I think the beauty of it is I just worry about us and making sure we’re at our best on Sunday when we play Pittsburgh and the next team we’ll play after that,” Taylor said. “Are we as good as we can possibly be and put ourselves in a position to beat another great team with great players? That’s every week. People add and subtract with injuries and additions with a trade. We don’t get caught up in that for one second. We’re going to go out there and be at our best. We want to be a team that people really worry about (with) the players we have. I think we do have that team right now, that when we step on the field, it’s a little bit (of) take a deep breath and let’s see what these guys have in store for you. If we can focus on that, we’ll be in great shape throughout the year.”
The Bengals did lose one player Tuesday but not through a trade. Arizona plucked quarterback Josh Johnson of their practice squad, leaving them with Sean Clifford as the third-string quarterback now, behind Joe Burrow and backup Joe Flacco.
Taylor said he would have loved to keep Johnson but was happy he could get an opportunity to play with Arizona. He’s comfortable moving forward with the three quarterbacks on the roster now, and the focus remains on keeping momentum going from a fourth-straight win last weekend in Madrid.
The winner of Sunday night’s game will be in the driver’s seat for the AFC North title.
“Through eight games, we’re in a position where we don’t need to be pulling against other teams,” Taylor said. “We get to pull for ourselves and handle our business. Take it one day at a time. After this game, the outcome will be what the outcome is. Right now, we’re excited that we’re in a position where we don’t have to cheer for other teams and get a chance to control what we can control.”
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor gestures during a press conference after an NFL football game against Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026.
Manu Fernandez / AP