Getty Fans finally received an injury update on New York Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton.
Back when New York Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton left Week 1 with a knee injury, the initial diagnosis seemed too good to be true.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the former first-rounder was expected to be sidelined “four to six weeks” after dislocating his knee cap and spraining his MCL, but here we are entering Week 7 with no sign of Becton. Ian Rapoport had even shortened that estimation down to “four to five weeks.”
Either way, based on the NFL’s injured reserve rules in 2021, the earliest the left tackle could have returned was Week 5 in London. Week 7 seemed more likely though, being that it would allow Becton the bye week for some extra recovery time. In the end, neither will occur.
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We Should Have Known Better…
This timeline always seemed fishy to me. After all, the National Health Service of the UK advises that “it usually takes about six weeks to fully recover from a dislocated kneecap, although sometimes it can take a bit longer to return to sports or other strenuous activities.”
Professional football is one of the more strenuous activities imaginable, so four weeks was probably never in the cards and neither was six if we’re being honest. On October 18, head coach Robert Saleh confirmed these suspicions when he was asked about the big-bodied blocker.
He’s doing a really good job, obviously he’s a few weeks away yet but he’s been working hard, he’s in pretty good shape and I know he’s chomping at the bit to get back. But as far as a concrete evaluation, I wouldn’t have one for you right now, [it’s] still the same.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh provided an update on OT Mekhi Becton (@BigTicket73) returning to action saying, ‘he’s still a few weeks away’ but ‘he’s in pretty good shape & he’s chomping at the bit’ to get back: #TakeFlight #NYJvsNE h/t @Connor_J_Hughes for asking question
I love Coach Saleh but if I was one of the beat reporters, I would have pressed a follow-up here. Five weeks into the recovery and we’re still “a few weeks away?” Last I checked, few generally means three at the minimum. If that statement was factual, that means Becton won’t return until Week 9 or 10.
Clearly, there was either a mistake in the initial timeline or a setback. I’d put my money on the return date being incorrect from the get-go, but a complication would come as no surprise to fans. The Jets have been very hush-hush about the left tackle and the media hasn’t questioned them on his availability, meaning who knows what happened.
All we know now is that Becton’s not playing in Week 7 and he’s not particularly close to playing anytime soon either.
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Pros & Cons of No Becton
George Fant and Morgan Moses have held up pretty well in certain areas but they’ve been worse in others.
On the plus side, the veterans have been very solid in pass protection, allowing one sack and 18 quarterback pressures combined. Out of 65 tackles, ESPN Stats & Info determined that both Fant and Moses rank in the top 20 for the entire NFL in terms of pass-block win rate, and Moses ranks in the top 10 at number eight overall.
Becton actually struggled in pass protection this summer, but he’s a known force in the ground game.
Fant and Moses have been pathetic in this department, just like the rest of the Jets’ offensive line. When looking at their run-block win rates, the two veterans don’t even crack the top 60. Moses comes in at 60 on the dot and Fant ranks 61st.
Once the 2020 first-rounder returns, he should act as a major catalyst for this rushing attack. The only question is when that will be, and it appears that Mum’s the word when it comes to Becton.
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