The New York Jets were dealt a potentially significant blow during their training camp session Monday. According to reporters on the scene, offensive tackle Mekhi Becton went down on the second play of practice and appeared to have suffered an injury to his surgically repaired right knee. After that, the 2020 first-round pick limped to the locker room and was sidelined for the rest of the day.
Following practice, head coach Robert Saleh said Becton would be getting an MRI on his knee, but that there was initial optimism that the injury was not significant. However, things have changed quite a bit since then.
The injury is "more concerning" than the team first thought, the NFL Network reported Monday evening, and is unrelated to the previous knee injury that kept him out nearly all of last year. Appearing on WFAN on Tuesday morning, Saleh confirmed that this is a "new injury" for Becton. While they are still waiting on second opinions, Saleh said "obviously it's not looking good." He added that the organization feels "sick" for Becton.
Becton was sidelined for essentially all of last season after suffering an injury to that right knee in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. Since being drafted No. 11 overall back in 2020, Becton has missed 18 games due to injury and has fallen out of favor with the organization at times due to his conditioning. The Louisville product was also in the midst of a transformative training camp this year, with the club moving him from left tackle to right tackle.
If this injury is a severe as the organization fears, it'll be curious to see their next course of action at the tackle position. Veteran left tackle Duane Brown recently had a free agent visit with the club, so he could be an option if Becton is forced to miss significant time or if New York simply wants to create more depth at the position going forward.
