It was the position battle no one really understood.

In the summer of 2025, the New York Jets sought to create a competition between third-year center Joe Tippmann and free-agent acquisition Josh Myers. After two months of a position battle, though, fate forced the team’s hand.

A season-ending injury to standout guard Alijah Vera-Tucker before the season began prompted the Jets to move Tippmann to right guard, while keeping Myers in his natural center role.

Since then, New York’s offensive line hasn’t missed a beat. They have been one of the better groups in the NFL thanks to the efforts of both Myers and Tippmann.

As the calendar flips to December, those two interior linemen continue to be shining examples of the qualities that New York’s coaching staff has preached from the very beginning.

Jets center position battle

If one player has benefited from the fallout of Vera-Tucker’s injury, it’s Tippmann. After a rocky start to the season, Tippmann is starting to come into his own. The former Wisconsin center is playing like one of the best guards in football, posting the best pass-blocking grade (84.0) among right guards from Weeks 7-13, per Pro Football Focus.

Myers, meanwhile, is 11th among interior offensive linemen in ESPN’s pass block win rate this season. His PFF metrics are less favorable (55.6 overall grade), but overall, he’s exceeded expectations for a player who was expected to be a backup.

On Friday, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn explained just how important both players have been for the organization and why their offseason position battle exemplified their worth to the coaching staff.

“Between both of those guys, they welcomed competition, and those are the type of guys you want on your team,” Glenn said. “He (Myers) came in and he competed. It came down to the end. Tipp (Tippmann) won the job, and then when that happened with AVT, he was so unselfish that he moved over to guard, and [Myers] moved right into that spot as the center.”

It always felt like Tippmann was going to be the team’s starting center throughout training camp. The third-year veteran had outplayed Myers during the preseason.

That competition, though, set both up nicely for the regular season. Tippmann is playing at a high level, while Myers has been more reliable than expected for a backup center. Together, they have helped lead New York to one of the best rushing offenses in the league.

Along the way, both Myers and Tippmann have set a new culture in the halls of 1 Jets Drive as well.

Culture setters

New York has one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. Tippmann (24) is a part of the Jets’ young core, while Myers (27) is one of the older players on the team despite being in just his fifth NFL season.

The coaching staff has credited both players as key culture setters in the locker room. Their competition has not only put them on the right path as players, but it has also proved they are the kind of individuals Glenn covets.

“To have guys like that on your roster, man, you’re talking about a culture of players that you want that really love ball and they don’t love what ball can do for them,” Glenn said. “Those are the type of guys you want to build your team with.”

To keep their offensive line core intact, New York would need to re-sign Myers in the offseason and extend Tippmann to a long-term deal. But with both players exceeding expectations, it’s not hard to imagine the Jets doing what must be done to keep both in green moving forward.

In a tumultuous season, they have been everything the Jets have needed and more.