Getty Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is helped off the field.
With training camp rapidly approaching in full flower for the 32 NFL franchises we are starting to get key NFL news through the transaction wire.
On Thursday, July 21 the New York Jets officially placed five players on the PUP (physically unable to perform list) including Mekhi Becton, George Fant, Carl Lawson, CJ Uzomah, and Dru Samia, per Mike Kaye of the Pro Football Network.
The #Jets put the following players on PUP ahead of training camp: OT Mekhi Becton, OT George Fant, DE Carl Lawson, TE C.J. Uzomah and G Dru Samia.
They’re all on designated as active, so they can come off the list at any point.
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The Devil Is in the Details
So what is the PUP list and what does it mean?
It is a roster designation used by NFL teams on players who suffered some type of injury during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp.
If a player is going to be placed on the PUP list, it must be prior to the start of training camp or it can’t be used at all.
This should explain the large number of Jets players (five) that are being placed on the list ahead of camp.
Players on this list are unable to practice, however, they are allowed to participate in team meetings and can use the team’s medical and training facilities.
The good news with this roster designation is a player can come off the list at any time. Even after a single training camp practice if they’re deemed ready to go.
Connor Hughes says this decision by the Jets is “not a bad thing. Just gives the group a little longer to get up to speed and in condition after missing” the offseason programs.
Current television analyst and longtime former NFL player Damien Woody tweeted out that this decision by the Jets was “pretty standard” and that fans shouldn’t read too much into this.
Not Great Bob
Despite Woody’s public warning to Jets fans that didn’t stop many of them from freaking out once this news was released.
@uSTADIUM Absolutely. Be worried until he proves otherwise
Many people have adopted the I’ll be worried about him until he is no longer a worry kind of strategy.
A lot of the frustration that seems to exist from fans comes from the initial injury timeline that the Jets shared on Becton coming off of Week 1. If they never sent that message out to the public, perhaps we would all be reacting very differently to the information that is coming out.
On the last episode of the Can’t-Wait Podcast with Connor Hughes he reiterated his report from over a month ago that Becton showed up to mandatory minicamp “overweight and out of shape.”
Also in a bit of a polarizing take Hughes said that one of the reasons Becton got hurt in the season opener versus the Carolina Panthers was because of his “physical shape.”
.@Connor_J_Hughes ‘at end of day photos aren’t what step on the scale. I called 2 coaches who said #Jets OT Mekhi Becton was out of shape & overweight’ + ‘they believe his physical shape is one of the reasons he got hurt in #Panthers game’: 🎥 Can’t Wait Pod #TakeFlight #JetsCamp
On tape, it appears to be a fluke injury with a player rolling into the back of his legs. However, Hughes reiterated the message he heard from inside the building on the matter.
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