4 NY Jets starters fighting for their 2023 roster spots this season

2. Mekhi Becton, OT, NY Jets

Unlike the three others on this list, Mekhi Becton can't really be cut after this season. While some have even (foolishly) suggested the Jets could release Becton this summer, financial implications make it pretty much impossible.

The same is true to a lesser extent next year. If the Jets release Becton in 2023, they would take on a dead cap charge of roughly $5.9 million — a figure that is equivalent to his cap hit.

In simpler terms, it would cost the Jets the exact same amount of money to cut Becton as it would be to release him. That means if the Jets were to cut Becton, they would deem it more valuable to the organization to not have him on the roster, even if keeping him costs the same cap figure.

That would be quite the indictment of Becton's value, which is why it remains more likely that the Jets trade him than anything else.

Rumors swirled all offseason that the Jets could look to move on from Becton in favor of someone like rookie Ikem Ekwonu. There isn't a more controversial player on the roster right now.

The Jets are still hoping that Becton could return healthy and motivated this season. They want him to be a long-term solution. But it's also clear that they're far from sold on him actually fulfilling his potential.

If Becton is forced to miss significant time due to injury in 2022, or he just struggles when healthy, the Jets might not hesitate this time around to replace him.

Mekhi Becton is fighting for his starting job and future roster spot this season.