NY Jets LT Mekhi Becton promises he will play this season

The NY Jets were hoping to see left tackle Mekhi Becton take the next step in his development in his second NFL season. Unfortunately, those hopes went out the window when the young standout tackle suffered a serious knee injury in Week 1.

While not initially believed to be a season-ending injury, Becton was given a timetable of 4-8 weeks in his recovery. But with Becton still in the process of rehabbing, many have begun questioning his status.

The Jets have yet to give any official update on his recovery timetable simply insisting that they're "still hopeful" that he will return this season and that he hasn't suffered a setback.

Becton himself took to Twitter on Monday and promised Jets fans that he would play again this season. "No doubt no matter if it’s the last game I'm coming back," Becton insisted.

Mekhi Becton still believes he will play for the NY Jets this season

The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Becton put together an excellent rookie season establishing himself as one of the best young offensive linemen in football.

There was legitimate hype around Becton heading into the 2021 season with a survey of over 50 NFL personnel even ranking him as the sixth-best offensive tackle in the entire league going into the year.

That was back in July prior to reports that Becton had struggled at times in the summer. That combined with his extended absence has made many forget just how promising Becton looked as a rookie, especially for a player who many considered to be a "project" coming out of college.

There's an argument to be made that Becton might be better off resting for the remainder of the season and coming back healthy in 2022. After all, why rush him back just to risk further injury?

But for a competitor like Becton, it certainly makes sense that he wants to come back as soon as possible. However, it might be in the Jets' best interest to afford him the additional rest.

With five games remaining in the season, there's been no indication that Becton is close to returning. But the big man has promised a return this season. Only time will tell if that actually turns out to be true.