It was only a matter of time that rookie Joe Tippmann, selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft (No. 43 overall), would end up in the middle of the Jets' improvised offensive line last season.
After initially being thrust into the fire at right guard in Week 3 because of injuries, Tippmann moved to his left, center (the position he played in college at Wisconsin), when veteran Connor McGovern sustained a season-ending knee injury in the Week 8 game against the Giants. Now Tippmann, a towering 6-7, is back in the middle, one of the anchors of the Green and White's transformed offensive line.
After getting married early in July and honeymooning on Martha's Vineyard ("My first time out on the coast," said the native of landlocked Fort Wayne, IN), Tippmann is at his second training camp and unlike last year he's the starting center, passing the ball to four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers.
"He's been in the NFL since I was 5 years old," Tippmann said about the quarterback with whom he shares a Badger State connection. "Just being out there playing with him making recommendations to my game, how I can be better. I take everything he says to heart and if I can incorporate it into my game just makes me better."
Coming into camp this season the vibe is definitely different for Tippmann.
"Being able to come in here so much more comfortable with the playbook," Tippmann told reporters. "Not me getting up to the line and wondering where I'm going. Now I know exactly where I'm going, and it's how can I make this better. How can I make my technique something that can help the guards, help the tackles. How can I communicate in a way that's going to help all the guys all the way down the line and get on the same page. That's something that's been huge for me and a testament to what we did in OTAs."
In addition to the comfort and certainty of playing a familiar position and knowing he owns a starting spot, the young guy finds himself surrounded by an impressive group of experienced teammates. Tryon Smith, signed in free agency from Dallas, is being counted on to protect Rodgers' blind side as the left tackle. John Simpson, signed from Baltimore, slots in at left guard. To Tippmann's right, Alijah Vera-Tucker, returning after a season-ending Achilles tendon tear, will be locked down at right guard. And veteran Morgan Moses, reacquired in a trade with Baltimore, is the projected starter at right tackle.
There's a lot of leadership responsibility on Tippmann's shoulders and he says he's up for the challenge.
"I definitely want that role," he said. "I think that comes with being a center, it's the aspect of center I've always loved. Having that extra stuff on your plate, getting back to the huddle, confirming with everybody, that's something I do every play. It's something I like to do that's leveled up my game."
Tippmann was positively effusive as he talked about his linemates:
On Smith: "It's awesome just having him in the huddle. You can always feel his presence. He's not only a great player, he's a great dude. Just that older voice on the O-line to make recommendations to help us in the long run. He's a guy I've admired since I can't even remember. It's a good feeling."
On Simpson: "John Simpson is awesome. He's a great dude, just getting to know him during OTAs, he's a great friend of mine already. Just being able to see the strength, the power, the passion he plays with. He's the guy who's giving everything he's got to this offense. He's doing a great job at it, he's making strides every single day.
On AVT: "It's going to be awesome, even just having AVT out there last year, he's a guy that in the huddle he's got such a calm confidence, you can feel it. He's not a guy that you have to tell something to twice. It's like, I make the call and he's like, 'yup, got it.' Just having him out there, the passion that he plays with he's giving everything he has every play no matter how tired. I admire him a lot. He's a great dude. Getting to see him back on the field, getting back in there, I'm really happy for him."
For now, Tippmann may be surrounded by veterans on the starting O-line, but he's also at the forefront of a promising youth movement on the O-line. That of course includes AVT, but also other recent draft picks Max Mitchell, Carter Warren and this year's No. 1 draft pick Olu Fashanu.
