It was impossible not to notice Joe Tippmann in the New York Jets’ season opener against the Washington Commanders.
Of the 22 projected starters on both sides of the ball in Week 1, only one was eligible for the exhibition contest, and Tippmann was the best. The 23-year-old center played the Jets’ first two possessions and snapped the ball to quarterback Tyrod Taylor seven times with no issues.
It’s not irrational to conclude that Tippmann was only on the field for the first preseason game to work on his shooting accuracy in a live-action situation. Surprisingly, the second-year pro struggled to perform this important task on several occasions throughout training camp.
“Young second grader, I’m trying to have him solve some problems that he needs to solve,” Saleh said. “And since Tyrod is there, I wanted him to mimic Tyrod’s snap count.”
Tippmann and Taylor also had the opportunity to work together during joint practice last Thursday against the Washington Commanders. With Aaron Rodgers out due to inclement weather, Taylor took over QB1 drills with Tippmann at center.
After being selected 43rd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Tippmann made his first appearance at right guard three weeks into his rookie season. Tippmann, who had played two seasons as Wisconsin’s starting center, moved to his usual position to replace the injured Connor McGovern for the final 10 games of the regular season.
Although he showed no signs of snapping trouble when thrown in at the deep end as a first-year pro, Tippmann has thrown the ball over quarterback Aaron Rodgers more than once during practice. After such incidents, the 40-year-old Rodgers was seen engaging in intense conversation with the young center.
“Aaron is always trying to make me better and I really appreciate that about him. I know it’s out of love and he’s always trying to make me better because he knows I can be better,” Tippmann said at his locker after the 20-17 preseason win.
Although Tippmann was the only returning regular to be called upon, he did not appear to disapprove of Saleh’s decision.
“I mean, I’m a second-year guy that can just go out and get into it, I guess. It was nice to go out and get into the flow of the game,” Tippmann said. “I’ve been working on my ritual, my daily ritual of how I approach every game, so it was good to kind of get a head start on that.”
