Mekhi Becton is fighting through the pain (and puke) after leaving NY Jets
By Justin Fried
![Mekhi Becton Mekhi Becton](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3750,h_2109,x_0,y_123/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/30/01j3jyqpr435gyf96302.jpg)
Former NY Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton has quickly made a good first impression on his new coaching staff since signing with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
Becton has showcased his versatility and willingness to learn behind a talented and stacked Eagles offensive line. Unfortunately, Becton's first training camp practice as a member of the Eagles on Wednesday didn't go particularly well.
No, it's not that Becton struggled with his performance. The former first-round pick actually started at left guard with Landon Dickerson sidelined and reportedly held his own.
Instead, Becton's practice was marred by an unfortunate case of the training camp stomach bug, as the Louisville product reportedly threw up as many as 10 times during Wednesday's practice. Looks like Becton's conditioning might still need a little work.
To Becton's credit, he dusted himself off and got right back on the field after each vomit. Still, that's certainly not how Becton saw his first practice with the Eagles going.
Mekhi Becton's post-NY Jets career is off to a rocky start
Becton signed a team-friendly one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Eagles this offseason with the expectation that he would serve as one of the team's top backup offensive linemen.
His decision to choose Philadelphia largely came down to fit, as Becton believed the Eagles gave him a perfect opportunity to develop behind some of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. Learning under arguably the league's best offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, certainly doesn't hurt, either.
While Becton has impressed his new coaches to this point, Wednesday's mishap might raise questions that have followed the oversized offensive tackle throughout his career.
Becton frequently ran into issues regarding his weight and conditioning during his time with the Jets. Concerns about his attitude and physical conditioning ultimately soured his relationship with the organization and partially led to his eventual departure,
Of course, it's important not to overreact to one training camp practice, and it's not uncommon to see players lose their lunch, so to speak, early in the summer. The heat and humidity can be a lot for players to adjust to after significant time off.
Still, I'm not sure I've ever heard of a player throwing up 10 separate times over the course of one practice. It's fair to have some concern about Becton's conditioning, especially given his history.
Here's to hoping Becton is able to bounce back from his rocky start and salvage his once-promising NFL career in Philadelphia. At the very least, he showed his new coaching staff some guts on Wednesday — even if he did immediately puke them back up.
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