Joe Tippmann gives Jets a silver lining after Alijah Vera-Tucker injury

Entering a refreshed year under a new regime, the New York Jets’ offensive line was expected to be a strength after years of injuries and inconsistency.

But before the 2025 team could take a regular-season snap, the unit took a major hit, as according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, veteran guard Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending torn triceps. Head coach Aaron Glenn had named the veteran lineman a team captain earlier this week.

For all the talent Vera-Tucker has shown since joining the Jets in 2021, injuries have defined his NFL career. He’ll now miss significant time for the third time in five seasons, and each absence has forced others to step in with mixed results.

This time, the Jets may be better positioned to adjust their offensive line than in years past, with a potential plan to shift one of their stalwarts into Vera-Tucker’s spot.

Joe Tippmann is ready-made replacement at right guard for the Jets

Although he had been competing with Josh Myers, Joe Tippmann likely would have been the starting center on a fully healthy offensive line, snapping to Justin Fields.

While moving him away from his natural position isn’t ideal for the chemistry and cohesion of the unit, the third-year pro has proven he can handle guard in the NFL.

Tippmann played guard during his rookie season in 2023 and, for a stretch, performed like one of the best at the position. Thrust into action due to injuries across the offensive line while still being developed as the center of the future, he quickly impressed.

In his first two games at guard, among players with at least 120 snaps, Tippmann earned a 76.6 Pro Football Focus grade, the fourth-best mark in the NFL at the time. His 80.1 pass-blocking grade ranked fifth, while his 76.5 run-blocking grade ranked sixth.

It’s a small sample size, but the measurables back it up. At 6-foot-6 with strength, Tippmann can overwhelm even the NFL’s top defensive linemen.

A move to guard plays to those strengths, freeing him from center-to-quarterback communication issues that showed up this preseason and letting him focus purely on blocking, arguably the reason he flashed more at guard as a rookie.

Despite this, there is some cause for concern in moving Tippmann off center, as Myers, who would slot in at the position, struggled mightily as the anchor of the Green Bay Packers’ line.

According to PFF, Myers ranked 38th out of 43 qualifying centers with a 55.7 overall grade in 2024, after finishing 30th in 2023 and 28th in 2022. A new system could provide better results for the fifth-year pro, though, and with the motivation of playing for a longer-term contract while on a one-year, prove-it deal.

This is a wait-and-see situation for the Jets, who now head into a Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a new-look line they can only test in practice, not preseason.

It’s a familiar story that has hurt New York in recent years, but if Tippmann’s flashes of strong play and added experience mean anything, this unit could succeed.

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