27-year-old Commanders OL announces retirement

The Commanders placed Herbig on the reserve/retired list Tuesday. That moves comes after he signed a one-year deal in free agency this spring. The 27-year-old will not spend training camp competing for a roster spot; rather, his attention will now turn to his post-playing days.

Entering the league as an undrafted free agent, Herbig’s first regular season action came with the Eagles. He made only a pair of appearances in 2019, but the following year he emerged as a key member of their offensive line and made 12 starts. Herbig’s final Philadelphia campaign saw him play 16 games while making five starts.

The Stanford product spent 2022 with the Jets, logging first-team duties during each of his 11 games played. Expectations were high for another campaign of starting duties up front entering last season, as Herbig was on track to begin the year atop the Steelers’ center depth chart. He has started only two contests during his debut Pittsburgh campaign, but a run as the first-team center was in store until a torn rotator cuff was suffered in August.

Zach Frazier enjoyed a strong rookie campaign upon filling in for Herbig, whose two-year spell as a teammate of brother Nick Herbig came to an end when he headed to Washington. The Commanders have Tyler Biadasz in place as their preferred center option, but Herbig was set to compete for a role at one of the guard spots. That will no longer be the case, however, as Washington moves forward with its remaining options up front.

In all, Herbig totaled 63 combined regular and postseason appearances over the course of his career. His NFL tenure will come to an end after accumulating $11.5MM in career earnings.