Getty New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton will take the field on August 3 for the first time since 2021.
New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is a bit of a movie buff. He often quotes or references his favorite films on social media, and that’s the route he went ahead of his first taste of NFL action in almost two years.
This time, the message was quite intimidating — as he posted a still photo from the opening scene of one of the most intense and suspenseful crime dramas of all time: The Dark Knight.
The viral post on X (Twitter’s newly rebranded platform), showed the infamous Batman villain the Joker ahead of his chaotic arrival in Gotham City. Or in other words, Becton’s return to New York and the gridiron — two arenas in which he plans to cause mayhem.
Of course, Becton has sent out bold hype messages like this in the past, often falling short of expectations. Whether or not he can make good on this promise in 2023 has yet to be seen.
Mekhi Becton Stock Is ‘Down’ at Jets Camp
The early reports from the media at Jets camp have not been great. Fans of his will attribute it to rust, or injury recovery, but no matter the cause, Becton has not been good enough to start in 2023 — so far.
“This can change quickly if Becton plays a bunch in Thursday night’s game, and plays well, but it’s been an unfortunate start to camp for the 2020 first-round pick,” The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt relayed after noting that Becton stock is “down” on July 31.
“After the first padded practice, the Jets held Becton out of practice Wednesday and then limited him in subsequent days,” Rosenblatt explained. “He returned to a full-go on Sunday, but it’s clear he’s not completely recovered from last August’s knee injury and is still working his way back into football shape.”
Most of all, Becton has struggled with speed rushers in the early stages of training camp. 2023 first-round selection Will McDonald IV has flown right by him often, and Bryce Huff and Jermaine Johnson II have — at times — made a meal out of the big-bodied blocker too.
Having said that, Becton has seemingly improved over the past few days, and his progress could be incremental as the preseason rolls on.
As for Rosenblatt, the NYJ beat writer concluded that Becton is “still a ways away from seriously pushing for a starting job on this offensive line.”
Jets OT Mekhi Becton’s Last Movie Reference Didn’t Go So Well
As mentioned in the open, Becton loves quoting and referencing his favorite films. One previous post from January of 2022 had a similar theme.
Following the news that his 2021 injury would be season-ending, Becton sent a clip from the movie Poolhall Junkies, in which actor Christopher Walken gives a long and meaningful speech.
“You got this lion,” Walken began. “He’s the king of the jungle, huge mane out to here. He’s laying under a tree, in the middle of Africa. He’s so big, it’s so hot. He doesn’t want to move.”
“Now the little lions come, they start messing with him,” the actor went on. “Biting his tail, biting his ears. He doesn’t do anything. The lioness, she starts messing with him. Coming over, making trouble. Still nothing. Now the other animals, they notice this. They start to move in. The jackals; hyenas. They’re barking at him, laughing at him. They nip his toes, and eat the food that’s in his domain.”
“They do this, then they get closer and closer, bolder and bolder. Till one day, that lion gets up and tears the s*** out of everybody. Runs like the wind, eats everything in his path,” Walken ended. “Cause every once in a while, the lion has to show the jackals, who he is.”
Obviously, Becton was hinting that he’s the lion in this metaphor, with his naysayers being the jackals. An epic message, in theory, but one he was unable to back up after another season-ending injury during 2022 training camp.
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Jets’ Mekhi Becton Drops Intimidating Post Ahead of First Game in Almost 2 Years