Joe Tippmann may have an edge facing familiar faces in Week 1 Titans matchup

The NFL schedule makers knew exactly what they were doing when they pit the New York Jets up against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 of the 2026 regular season, and it's hard to blame them for it. How could they pass up the opportunity?

Ex-Jets head coach Robert Saleh, entering his first season with Tennessee, will have the chance at revenge against the team that fired him almost two years ago. It certainly doesn't hurt that they boast multiple former Green & White defenders, including John Franklin-Myers, Solomon Thomas, and, of course, recently traded edge Jermaine Johnson.

Luckily for the Jets, some of their current offensive linemen will have some experience blocking against their former head coach's scheme and players. Olu Fashanu's rookie season came at the tail end of Saleh's tenure, and Joe Tippmann has been around since 2023.

Could their past experiences help them on the field come Week 1? Who really knows for sure, but Tippmann made it clear he's excited about the prospect of squaring off against some familiar faces.

Joe Tippmann excited to see familiar New York Jets faces against Titans

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Tippmann described what it's like preparing to face his former head coach and teammates when they travel to Tennessee in Week 1.

"I'm excited to see him (Saleh) see that defense again, see quite a few of the guys that I used to play with early on in my career. JFM (Franklin-Myers), I think Solly's (Thomas) there, Jermaine (Johnson). Excited to compete against those guys again and compete against that solid defense that I started off my career going against."

Tippmann picked up his pass-blocking chops from blocking these guys early in his career, and it may end up giving him an edge protecting Geno Smith against the likes of Franklin-Myers and Thomas on the interior.

Of course, it won't be the exact same as it was three years ago. Saleh has almost definitely added some new wrinkles to his scheme, and the players are older too. But there's still some hope that the edge lies with the Jets' offensive linemen.

Saleh's most recent body of defensive work isn't great. Coordinating the San Francisco 49ers' defense last year, they finished last in the league in total sacks with 20. It didn't help that they lost former All-Pro Nick Bosa to a season-ending injury.

We'll see if his defense in Tennessee can recapture some of the magic he had with the Jets in 2022 and 2023.

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