The Jets need to hope Mekhi Becton can be as good at blocking people on the field as he has gotten at blocking them off of it.
Becton spoke to the media Tuesday for the first time since the end of last season. The slimmed-down former first-round pick said that he has learned how to deal with online haters by blocking them on social media.
“Trying to get my mental right because you’ve got a lot of people that say stuff about you,” Becton said. “Just trying to not let the words get to me. That’s probably been the hardest part.”
Becton may not have to block people on social media any longer if he can finally turn the potential he showed as a rookie into production. The Jets have been waiting on the 2020 first-rounder to blossom, but he has missed all but one game in the last two years.
In his career, Becton has appeared in 15 of a possible 50 games. He played only 50 percent of the offensive snaps in 12 of those. Knee injuries in Week 1 of the 2021 season and in training camp last year ended his seasons early.
Now, Becton is fighting for his career with the Jets and in the NFL. Becton is a 350-pound question mark and no one is quite sure what the answer will be. The Jets entered this camp not counting on Becton. He is part of a competition for the two starting tackle spots but has not gotten one first-team rep so far. Becton is staring up at the depth chart at Billy Turner and Max Mitchell and will tumble further once Duane Brown is cleared to return to practice.
“It’s definitely my goal to be a starter for Week 1,” Becton said.
To achieve that goal, Becton needs to win over a coaching staff that inherited him and has never fully trusted him. Even before the injuries, former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur ripped Becton publicly. There are people inside the Jets who wonder how much Becton loves football and question his pain tolerance. He missed one practice last week with soreness in his surgically repaired right knee.
“I’m still in the healing process of my recovery,” Becton said.
Becton showed some growth this offseason by committing to getting his body in shape. After tipping the scales at more than 400 pounds last year, Becton is now at 350, his lowest weight since college. He stayed in New Jersey and hired a new trainer. Becton has clearly put in the work to reshape his body.
In an interview with Newsday in May, Becton blamed the coaching staff for his knee injury last year because they played him at right tackle. That did not go over well at One Jets Drive. Becton said Tuesday that it was not all their fault. He said he opted for the wrong surgery in 2021 in an effort to return quicker and his knee was not healed when he started camp last year.
Becton also has said on social media that he is only a left tackle and does not want to play on the right side.
Becton struck a different tune Tuesday.
“Wherever they want me at, I just want to be on the field,” Becton said. “That took some maturing. That’s the big thing for me. I just want to play.”
This is a make-or-break season for Becton, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. The tantalizing glimpses he showed as a rookie feel like another lifetime ago. Adam Gase was the Jets’ coach and Sam Darnold was the quarterback.
Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game is meaningless for many Jets. It is huge for Becton. This is the first time he will be on a field for a game since he went down in Week 1 in 2021 in Carolina. Jets coach Robert Saleh said Becton will play 20-25 snaps.
“I’m definitely treating this as if it is a regular game,” Becton said.
The range of outcomes for Becton to start this season vary from starter to the trading block. At this point, anything the Jets get out of Becton has to be viewed as a pleasant surprise. Time is running out for Becton to show he is as good at blocking defenders as social media trolls.
