Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor delivered an apology on behalf of Duke Tobin on Wednesday after the team’s proposed trade for Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie fell through.
The Bengals had agreed to acquire Ebiketie for a 2027 sixth-round pick before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. The Bengals withdrew after determining the move would also cost a projected third-round compensatory pick.
Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati, Taylor said Tobin wanted the organization to accept responsibility, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
“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.”
The following story is in development and will be updated shortly.