The Jets have a battle brewing at center
The New York Jets have mostly gotten what they could’ve reasonably asked for since drafting interior offensive lineman Joe Tippmann in 2023. While his rookie season didn’t grade well (overall PFF grade of 61.0), fans were largely encouraged by his results, and that hope was rewarded in 2024 as he logged an overall grade of 73.4 that ranked 9th among qualified centers.
Given that success, it was perhaps notable when the Jets signed Josh Myers this offseason given that he was new quarterback Justin Fields’ starting center in college. While the idea that Tippmann would retain the job was generally accepted by most, it appears that those who thought that Myers might be signed with bigger hopes than a backup role in mind might have been onto something. Indeed, Zach Rosenblatt of the Athletic recently threw some support behind that thinking, writing “There will be legitimate competition for the starting center job” and that “Tippmann should still be viewed as the favorite, but Myers is getting a real shot at the job.”
By no means does this mean that Tippmann will lose his starting job, but it does bear following in the coming weeks.