It has been nearly five months since New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey revealed a surprising position battle at center.
After months of practicing, the team still doesn’t want to announce who is going to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Head coach Aaron Glenn has commended both Joe Tippmann and Josh Myers throughout training camp for their competitive spirit and professionalism through this competition.
While fans and analysts may predict a likely winner at this point, Glenn is holding off on announcing a winner.
Jets starting center update
At first glance, the battle at center seems relatively over. Tippmann, a third-year veteran and former second-round pick by the team, has outplayed Myers throughout camp and in preseason action.
Myers was brought in as a free agent on a low deal (just $3 million), but continues to compete for the starting role. He struggled throughout preseason showdowns – an extension of middling results over his time as a Green Bay Packer.
Even with all of the tape fans and analysts have seen, Glenn remained steadfast as ever when talking about the position before practice on Wednesday.
“It’s still playing out,” Glenn said.
Reporters tried multiple times to get the head coach to break on a player leading in the clubhouse at this point, but he remained stoic as ever.
He isn’t backing down on this. The center position, however, “solved” it may be to fans and analysts, is still under competition.
There are a number of theories as to why this could still be a main talking point for New York. At the top of the list is the fact that while Tippmann has always been a better blocker, his penchant for high snaps leaves some concerned of his viability at the position for the long-term.
While perfecting the snaps is the bare minimum for any center, being able to block in run and pass plays is also part of that minimum.
Tippmann may be the “favorite” in many people’s eyes, but that doesn’t mean Glenn or the coaching staff have to agree, or even say anything at this point.
