Getty A snapshot of the battle between the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There were a lot of reports leading up to the 2022 NFL draft that Mekhi Becton has played his final snaps in a New York Jets uniform.
.@dpbrugler says ‘there are plenty of people around the league that think Mekhi Becton will never put on a #Jets jersey ever again, yeah they think that ship has sailed’ 😳👀 📻 #NFLRhodesShow w/ @lindsay_rhodes #TakeFlight #NFLDraft #NFL
A lot of that talk seemed to die after the green and white passed on all the top offensive tackle options in the first three rounds of that class.
However, with all of the uncertainty heading into training camp, some believe a trade could still come to fruition.
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A Stunning Trade
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report revealed his five bold trade predictions ahead of training camp.
In one of his proposed deals, he had the Jets shipping out offensive tackle Mekhi Becton to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2023 second and a 2023 fourth-round draft choice.
“Several teams stand out as potential suitors for Becton due to their lack of talent and upside on the offensive line. The Pittsburgh Steelers may be the most desperate after deploying a line that Pro Football Focus ranked No. 26 in the league last year.
Rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. was one of the most disappointing players on the unit, earning a lowly 57.8 PFF grade while giving up seven sacks and getting flagged for five penalties over 1,079 snaps. He’s one of the projected returning starters on a line that PFF projects to be the third-worst in the league in 2022.
While Becton may not be in peak form right now, he did have a promising 74.4 PFF grade as a rookie. HE could be an ideal buy-low candidate to improve Pittsburgh’s offensive line as it prepares for life without longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.”
The argument made in the column stems from two big talking points this offseason. Firstly national reporter Dan Graziano shared on July 7 that the coaching staff is frustrated with Becton to the point where they aren’t sure what to do with him anymore.
Yikes 😳 @DanGrazianoESPN said there is ‘frustration’ w/ #Jets coaching staff on Mekhi Becton, ‘they’d like to see him not be overweight’ + ‘they’re at a point where there not sure what to do about it anymore’ + ‘he has the backing of the front office’: 🎙 #Greeny #TakeFlight
The second point of emphasis stemmed from Connor Hughes of The Athletic reporting that Becton was “pushing 400 pounds” when he stepped on the scale at mandatory minicamp.
.@Connor_J_Hughes says OT Mekhi Becton was ‘pushing 400 pounds’ when he showed up for #Jets mandatory minicamp + ‘the frustration from the coaching staff that @DanGrazianoESPN talked about is real, fans just haven’t wanted to believe it’: 🎥 Can’t Wait Pod #TakeFlight #JetsCamp
For all of those reasons, the Jets would like to hit the eject button on Becton while he still has value according to Kay.
That Ship Has Sailed
That last point has truth to it.
Becton at 23 years of age and heading into the third year of his contract still has a ton of value on the open market. There are people around the league that believe they can get the most out of the former Louisville big man.
Although another questionable season in 2022 marred by injuries or inconsistencies could change that narrative.
Despite how true that is the Becton trading ship has sailed. That train left the station the moment the green and white passed on every quality offensive tackle that was available to them early in free agency and during the 2022 NFL draft.
For better or for worse the Jets are all-in on Becton.
There is no way they could hit the eject button now with no clear replacement plan currently on the roster. It would be negligent for the staff to send him away regardless of how good the return trade package was.
The most important thing to the Jets is the development of their young quarterback Zach Wilson. It would be pretty hard to evaluate his talents with him lying on his back all season because of a lack of protection.
The Jets are crossing their fingers that a motivated Becton shows up to training camp and quells all of the concerns about his weight and desire to be great. We’ll see what truly happens in a few weeks time.
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