NY Jets OT Mekhi Becton leaves practices after apparently re-injuring right knee

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Mekhi Becton / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

The NY Jets returned to the practice field after an off day on Sunday, and they were met with an almost immediate dose of bad news as right tackle Mekhi Becton limped off the field on one of the first plays of team drills.

Becton appeared to re-injure his surgically-repaired right knee, per ESPN's Rich Cimini, as he limped off "badly" to the locker room. He did not return to practice after that.

This is about the worst injury that could have happened to the Jets. The team is already starved for offensive tackle depth, especially after Conor McDermott's ankle injury on Saturday.

The last thing they needed was another injury to Becton's surgically-repaired knee. We don't have confirmation at this time if the injury was, indeed, to his knee, although that seems to be what Cimini is suggesting here.

Head coach Robert Saleh will meet with the media after practice and likely provide more information.

The NY Jets can't afford to be without Mekhi Becton for a significant period of time

Bottom line, the Jets absolutely cannot afford to be without Becton for any considerable amount of time. The tackle depth behind him is almost nonexistent with Chuma Edoga, rookie Max Mitchell, and former undrafted free agent Grant Hermanns the only other true healthy tackles on the roster.

Not to mention, George Fant is still working his way back from a knee injury and isn't firing on all cylinders just yet. The Jets simply have no one to replace Becton with.

You have to believe that, if the Becton injury is anything serious, the Jets will get a deal done with Duane Brown. Brown has been visiting the Jets for the last two days and has already taken a physical, per SNY's Connor Hughes.

The five-time Pro Bowler would immediately step in as a starter, likely at left tackle with George Fant sliding back to right tackle. You also have to figure that Fant wouldn't be too pleased about that given his ongoing extension negotiations.

Nonetheless, he may not have much of a choice.

Jets fans are eagerly awaiting an update on Mekhi Becton, but the early signs don't appear to be very promising.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.