Centers of attention abound throughout the NFL season. Not often do those centers of attention focus on the actual center position.
Yet with the Jets this training camp, here we are. In this corner we have incumbent third-year Jets starter Joe Tippmann, and in that corner, fifth-year man and former Green Bay starter Josh Myers. And head coach Aaron Glenn has a front row seat for the unfolding matchup.
"That is one of the battles that I am really enjoying," Glenn said this week. "Both of those men, first off, they're smart and they've picked this offense up fairly quickly. They're both tough and physical and they both do a really good job of helping Justin Fields when it comes to Mike points and things like that, because they understand, they know it, just like Justin does. But man, it is a fierce, fierce battle."
From the outside, some in Jets Nation might ask why did center become a fierce battle? Tippmann, the second-round pick out of Wisconsin in the 2023 draft, seemed to be establishing himself there, having made his first four Jets starts at RG before starting the Jets' last 27 games at center. He and Connor McGovern in '22 are the only Jets centers to log 1,000 offensive snaps in a season since Nick Mangold in '13.
But Tippmann is unfazed over this friendly war for snaps and starts.
"It's been great, just battling it out with Josh," Tippmann said. "In practice, we know we're battling it out, and then after practice, we're able to sit down, no hard feelings, it's just how can we each get better as a player? And I think we're both doing a great job, both taking that next step as the center to just make the team better."
Myers is a formidable free agent challenger. He's also a second-round pick, by the Packers out of Ohio State in the 2021 draft, and he also got the starting nod early with 53 starts the past three seasons, including three playoff games, and a streak of three consecutive 1,000-snap campaigns that he takes into his first season as a Jet.
We'll hear from Myers later this week on returning to his former home of Lambeau Field and meeting up with his old teammates. And we'll hear from Glenn on how much either of these veterans will play in the first game of any kind in AG's first year as an NFL head coach.
For now, Tippmann's youthful experience and his positive vibe have him front and center along with Myers in this turf battle. He describes Fields as "freaking awesome," and he loves his linemates whether OC Tanner Engstrand has called a run or a pass.
"I would say we're in a good spot," Tippmann said of the OL. "We're definitely still climbing, there are still things we've got to keep working on. But we have such a great group of guys who are never complacent. Every time we're in the meeting room, it's how can we do this better? How can we learn this scheme better? I'm really excited, especially with the group of guys we've got."
And Glenn, who's getting pumped about a lot of things as his and his Jets' 2025 game debut approaches, is eager to keep an eye on those centers of attention.
"I've said this before: Elite athletes thrive on competition," he said. "And it's showing up with those two men. I think they're playing their butts off right now. I know we have two really good players at that spot that are going to do a good job for us this year."
Will the new HC need all three preseason games and the rest of summer to determine who'll be his starter and who will provide quality depth at all three interior line positions?
"Well, I can't say that. We'll let that roll like it needs to roll," Glenn said. "But I'll tell you what. I'm enjoying how those guys are going out battling."
