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There were some issues with high shotgun snaps from Joe Tippmann against the Giants on Wednesday, like one that QB Adrian Martinez had to jump up for.
This has been an on-and-off issue throughout the summer, much like last summer.
And while there wasn’t a lot of talk about it, there were some issues in games last year, like against Seattle.
Late in the first quarter, Tippman had a low snap, and QB Aaron Rodgers bent down to grab it by his feet, and salvaged the play, hitting WR Davante Adams on a quick slant for a gain of 10 in the red zone.
After this play, Fox Sports’ play-by-play man Adam Amin said, “He’s had a couple of weird snaps today.”
So it wasn’t the only one that day.
While it might be a tough decision, the Jets may need to consider moving Tippmann to left guard, where he can challenge John Simpson for the position, and plug Josh Myers into the center spot. Myers seems to deliver more consistent shotgun snaps.
And Tippmann could be a superb left guard. In the Jets’ 30-10 win over Green Bay in their initial 2025 preseason game, on a first-quarter touchdown drive, running back Braelon Allen had a 14-yard scamper up the middle. One of the key blocks on this play was Tippmann, playing left guard, locking up defensive tackle Colby Wooden, opening up a big hole.
There were times against the Giants, the crowd saw the Jets play Myers at center with Xavier Newman at left guard, and Tippmann was on the sideline.
While Newman might be a more natural guard than Tippmann, Tippmann has much better size. Newman measured 6-1 7/8 and 297 pounds at the combine. Tippmann measured 6-6, 313.
Newman is a solid player, but Tippmann gets a little more push in the run game with his bigger frame . . .
In a spring issue of Jets Confidential Magazine, we wrote about how the tight end position would be very important for Justin Fields in the passing game, and here is what we wrote:
“While Fields is a phenomenal athlete, who can make big plays with both his arm and his legs, he’s not known as the best at progressions, so you often see with QBs like this, the tight end position is of enormous importance.
“Let’s say the read is not open, it’s often the tight end sneaking off the line after blocking for a second, that becomes a great safety valve on short to intermediate throws. He provides a large, easy-to-see target right in the QB’s wheelhouse.
“For a QB who isn’t necessarily going to go through his progression, like one, two, three, check down, aside from running run-pass option plays and bootlegs, having a big, athletic tight end slipping off the line, and getting open underneath, is manna from the heavens.”
One of the standouts in the Jets’ first preseason game was tight end/fullback Andrew Beck.
On the Jets’ opening offensive possession, which resulted in a 79-yard TD drive, Beck had catches of 12 and 24 yards.
On the first one, he lined up as a tight end to the right of Armand Membou, snuck off the line, sat down in the short middle, creating a lay-up throw for Fields, which Beck took for 12 yards. Then later on this drive, Beck lined up at fullback, snuck out of the backfield, settled in essentially the same spot, and the QB hit him again, and the TE/FB added some impressive RAC on this play, which resulted in a 24-yard gain.
It should be pointed out that WR Garrett Wilson ran deep routes on each of these plays, so this probably helped soften up the short middle.
So whether it’s Beck, Mason Taylor or Jeremy Ruckert, expect this option to be a big part of the Jets’ offensive strategy this season – a tight end-type sneaking off the line, or out of the backfield and settling into a soft spot in the zone, right in Fields’ wheelhouse.
August 14, 2025
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