Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
If this writer is right, the New York Jets could be in some big trouble in 2023.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report recently predicted the “biggest bust” on every NFL team ahead of the upcoming season. For Gang Green, he selected the low-hanging fruit that is offensive tackle Mekhi Becton.
“This is the final year of Becton’s rookie contract. If he doesn’t emerge from training camp as a starter it could be the final straw for his time in New York,” Ballentine explained in a column that was posted on Monday, July 10.
Becton Is Winning the Infamous Offseason Jets Trophy
The Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl title since the 1968-69 season when ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath waved his index finger as he was walking off the field at the Miami Orange Bowl.
However in those 54 years between now and then, the Jets have won plenty of offseason trophies for their efforts.
Sometimes that has been signing a big free agent or being the talk of the town. This offseason was no different.
The team acquired Aaron Rodgers making them the NFL’s offseason darling and Becton himself has gone through a stunning physical transformation.
It seems like every offseason insert player is in the insert best shape of their lives. It is a column that is written literally every offseason about a slew of players in the league, but it might actually be true about the Jets’ former No. 11 overall pick in the first round.
The former Louisville product rededicated himself to the game of football and completely changed the people inside his circle as he sought out a fresh start.
#Jets OT Mekhi Becton (@BigTicket73) told @eallenjets that he has wanted to make this body transformation for a while but he felt like he didn’t have the right team around him, ‘I had to change the seats at my metaphorical table’ + ‘I revamped everything: I got a new trainer, a…
Now just because Becton is in incredible shape and has a new lease on life that doesn’t guarantee that he will have success or a clean bill of health.
However, he is arguably the most pivotal piece to the puzzle outside of the quarterback position. If he’s healthy and starting the Jets are better for it. However, if the injury bug or some unforeseen issue crops up, Gang Green could be left in a bad position.
Becton Isn’t Guaranteed a Starting Job
Becton has been a fun story to watch this offseason but he isn’t guaranteed to have a happy ending.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Ahtletic posted a column on Tuesday, July 11 predicting the top training camp battles ahead of training camp.
Two of the top four battles he selected squarely revolved around Becton.
The left tackle and right tackle competitions respectively.
However, he indicated that the left tackle battle isn’t “real” and called it Duane Brown’s job to lose. The only way he would lose it in Rosenblatt’s eyes is if he wasn’t physically able enough to perform.
That would leave Becton with only the right tackle job left as a starting opportunity.
“And he is far from a lock to start at right tackle if/when he loses on the left side to Brown,” Rosenblatt explained.
As a matter of fact, Rosenblatt predicted that veteran Billy Turner will win the right tackle job which would leave Becton to sit idly on the bench.
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Jets 1st Rounder Predicted to Be ‘Biggest Bust’ of 2023