Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor apologized on behalf of the organization, sharing a statement from director of player personnel Duke Tobin explaining why the team didn't finalize a deal for Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher Arnold Ebiketie prior to Tuesday's trade deadline.
"Duke was very explicit with me when he came and spoke to me about how he wanted this portrayed," Taylor said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. "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."
The Bengals reportedly agreed to acquire Ebiketie from the Eagles in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick but called off the trade after discovering they'd also forfeit a third-round compensatory pick if they completed the deal.
Though there's been speculation about when and how Cincinnati learned it would lose the compensatory pick, Taylor said he hasn't spent much time thinking about the failed trade.
"It doesn't really matter to me. It probably took three minutes of my day yesterday away from watching tape," Taylor said. "Got a lot of faith in how (the front office) operates, and we'll just move forward with it."
Ebiketie has 25 tackles and two QB hits in nine games for the Eagles this season.
The Bengals enter Week 10 with a 6-2 record and are one of the AFC's top contenders. Cincinnati will host the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) on Sunday Night Football, with first place in the AFC North at stake.
