Mekhi Becton Hurdles Were Too Big For The Eagles

Philadelphia has three top-of-the-market players on the offensive line and will soon have a fourth in Cam Jurgens.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Mekhi Becton (77) celebrates after winning Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - One of the best stories of the 2024-25 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LIX-winning season was the reclamation of Mekhi Becton from first-round bust with New York to road-grading open massive holes for one of the best offensive lines ever assembled.

The group helped superstar running back Saquon Barkley run for 2,504 yards, breaking Terrell Davis’ quarter-century old record for most rushing yards in a season (including postseason).

Drafted as a franchise left tackle with the Jets, Becton found his groove inside at right guard with his massive 6-foot-7, 363-pound frame forcing a guessing game at the second level of most defenses.

With Becton, his sheer size forced linebackers to declare over or under and Barkley was savvy enough to read that and talented enough to shift gears on a dime with the best jump cut since Adrian Peterson.

“The Big Ticket” endeared himself with his emotion, almost overwhelmed when the Eagles clinched the NFC East after four years of losing. The picture of him sitting with his young son on the Superdome turf with confetti falling and tears streaming after the Eagles disposed of the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in the big game with be a part of the franchise’s lore for decades to come.  

The business side of football is why the Eagles are not running it back after Becton agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, two hurdles the Eagles weren’t prepared to entertain.

Multiple years and a $10M average annual value were benchmarks Becton deserved even with some concern over a troublesome knee.

In Philadelphia, however, there are already top-of-the-market players up front in tackles in Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, as well as left guard Landon Dickerson. The team also plans to add center Cam Jurgens to that mix with an extension sometime this offseason. 

Roster decisions are never just about a moment and Philadelphia has been disciplined this offseason in an attempt to make sure they can pay the bills coming due for other young stars like Jurgens, second-team All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and safety Reed Blankenship.

The trajectories of edge rusher Nolan Smith and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are also on Howie Roseman’s mind. 

With options at well-regarded offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s disposal like Tyler Steen, the recently-acquired Kenyon Green, and second-year developmental player Trevor Keegan, the Eagles felt comfortable this was a position they could take a chance at and still pencil in at least competent play moving forward.

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