Former New York Jets Offensive Lineman Shifting Roles With Eagles

The New York Jets saw one of their former top draft picks depart this offseason to the Philadelphia Eagles, and now it seems like they are trying him out at a different position.

Offensive lineman Mekhi Becton at practice / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

The most important thing the New York Jets had to do this offseason was upgrade their offensive line.

After being one of the worst units in the NFL last year, Joe Douglas and his front office recognized they had to be aggressive and pursue above-replacement level players to revamp their line to protect Aaron Rodgers coming off a torn Achilles.

They did just that, trading for Morgan Moses, signing Tyron Smith and John Simpson, and drafting Olu Fashanu.

In the process, they let Mekhi Becton walk after deciding not to pick up his fifth-year option ahead of last season, despite selecting him 11th overall in 2020. Much of that was due to his injury history that caused him to play only one game from 2022-23.

Organizations always have to weigh what could happen when they let a talent like the former first rounder hit the open market, and they might have to live with the fact that Becton could have a career resurgence with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, after he signed a one-year deal to be developed by premier offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

With that in mind, it's interesting to see the Eagles use the 6-foot-7, 340-pounder in a different manner than how the Jets used him during his tenure in New York.

According to Justin Fried of The Jet Press, Becton has been getting first-team reps at offensive guard during mandatory minicamp as Philadelphia's normal starting guard, Landon Dickerson, was excused for personal reasons.

Only seen as an offensive tackle previously, and on the left side as the former Jet clearly stated in his now-deleted social media post, Stoutland raved about Becton's positional versatility and thinks he will provide a great depth option for them at both guard and tackle.

Barring some major injuries or drastic underperformances, Becton likely won't see the field in extended action for the Eagles this season.

That allows the talented lineman some time to develop under Stoutland as he looks to get his career back on track.

This should also serve as an example for New York not to pigeonhole players into singular positions.

Of course, Becton had his issues during his time with the Jets, battling injuries, being critical of the organization, training staff, and others, but, it's never smart to give up on players early.