NY Jets OC says Mekhi Becton is 'not playing at his best'

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Mekhi Becton / NP NAME-USA TODAY NETWORK

The NY Jets were ecstatic with the play of left tackle Mekhi Becton in his rookie season. Becton exceeded early expectations and finished as one of the NFL's best rookies a year ago.

Hopes were high that Becton would continue his ascent toward stardom in his second NFL season. However, the 2020 first-round pick has had a rough go of it in training camp to this point.

To the point where his own offensive coordinator, Mike LaFleur, admitted that Becton hasn't been playing at his best.

It's still early and we shouldn't put too much weight into training camp practices. But if his own coach is expressing concern, it's fair for fans to feel the same way.

"Mekhi’s going through some things right now. He’s not playing at his best and he knows that. He didn’t have a training camp last year. He didn’t have OTAs last May and June. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Mekhi because, one, I know how talented he is and, two, he’s a good dude and he’s going to work through all this stuff."
Mike LaFleur, on Mekhi Becton

The NY Jets are expecting a big year from Mekhi Becton in 2021

Becton has primarily been matched up with star defensive end Carl Lawson in practice this summer. Lawson had gotten the better of Becton in their matchups — prior to his injury — picking up 2-3 sacks on a daily basis.

It wasn't until the Jets began their joint practices with the Green Bay Packers this week that it became apparent how much Becton was struggling.

The Louisville product had a difficult time blocking veteran Preston Smith and allowed a number of sacks during the week.

Again, this is just practice we're talking about. And in the Jets' only preseason game so far this year, Becton didn't allow a single pressure in his two offensive series.

There's no reason to panic just yet. But LaFleur certainly believes that Becton is capable of playing at a higher level than he currently is.

As LaFleur insisted, Becton's talent is evident. And the whole point of training camp is to work out any kinks in preparation for the regular season.

The Jets hope that Becton's training camp struggles will be a thing of the past when the team kicks off their 2021 season next month.

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.