Eric Steinbach’s comeback attempt has come to an end.
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin opened up his Wednesday press conference by announcing that Steinbach has decided to retire after nine seasons in the NFL. The news likely doesn’t come as much surprise to Hard Knocks watchers since they saw the guard tell Philbin that he wasn’t playing as well as he used to during this week’s installment.
Steinbach missed all of last season with a back injury that still seemed to be affecting his play. Before the injury, Steinbach started 124 of the 125 games he played with the Bengals and Browns between 2003 and 2010. Steinbach, a third second-round pick in 2003, played for Philbin during his college days at Iowa and got a nice sendoff from the coach.
“I think a lot of him. I remember when he was 18 years old and it was like pulling teeth from him to get him to move from tight end,” Philbin said, via Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “He should have no regrets. He’s had an excellent career.”
Steinbach’s departure means that Richie Incognito and Artis Hicks will most likely remain as the starters at left and right guard for the Dolphins this season.