Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh grimacing on the sideline.
The most polarizing New York Jets topic this offseason is Mekhi Becton.
When healthy he has NFL executives buzzing with his “hall of fame” traits, but the problem is he hasn’t been healthy often enough to maximize those abilities in his first two seasons.
While some of that was beyond his control with freak injuries, what is supposed to be under his control is his weight.
Head coach Robert Saleh attempted to light a fire under his keyster at the Senior Bowl saying Becton would have to fight for his job, but it seems like those ploys failed to motivate the big man.
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Not Great Conversation
ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano joined Greeny and was asked about Becton and didn’t hold back:
“Well, I think they’d like to see him not be overweight. I’ve been told the same things you guys are hearing about that and it sounds like an unfortunate situation. The Jets are kind of at a point where they are not sure what to do about it anymore. Does he play on the left side? Does he play on the right side? Does he have to be a guard?
Like there are all kinds of questions about this guy and what they’re going to do with him. My understanding is there is frustration among the coaching staff. He hasn’t been able to keep himself in shape and he hasn’t performed to a level to justify where he was picked.
Can a guy get himself in shape between minicamp and training camp to the point where the coaching staff changes its opinion of him and feels better about it? I know he has the backing of the front office that drafted him but it is a production business. If he isn’t one of their best five offensive linemen then they’ll have a tough decision to make.”
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
This seems to confirm speculation from several members of the beat who thought it strange that Saleh refused to talk about Becton’s weight and conditioning.
The uncomfortable part of this conversation is the Jets coaching staff have seemingly thrown their hands up and said they have reached the point where they aren’t “sure what to do about it anymore.”
Obviously, at this point, they have no choice.
They gave their big man a vote of confidence by not signing an offensive tackle in free agency nor selecting one in the 2022 NFL draft until the fourth round.
Gang Green is hoping by the time training camp rolls around they don’t end up regretting that decision.
Reiterated Points
Graziano wasn’t the only one with these observations, Connor Hughes of The Athletic confirmed them in a column this week:
“It doesn’t help that Becton showed up to minicamp overweight, which frustrated staffers. The Jets aren’t willing to give up on Becton, though. Maybe losing his job motivates him to stay in shape and reach his Pro Bowl potential?”
Hughes also believes that George Fant is the “favorite to win” the left tackle job and is projecting him to do so.
This would mean that Becton is flipping to right tackle which is a position he hasn’t played since his college days.
For what it is worth, Becton doesn’t think it is a big deal to flip sides and shot down the difficulty of it during his open availability with the media.
Although Hughes wasn’t as confident in his column saying, “the Jets are asking Becton to learn an entirely new position. That’s an awful lot to put on a player’s plate, especially considering Becton is still working his way back from injury.”
Becton has been through a lot during his short time in the pros and somehow is still only 23 years of age with the entire world still sitting in the palm of his hand. We all know he has the talent and if he has the right motivation can do anything he wants.
Hopefully, that manifests itself come training camp because if it doesn’t the magic and hopefulness of the 2022 season for the Jets could all go up in smoke.
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Jets Coaches ‘Not Sure What to Do’ With Former Top Pick: Insider