Mekhi Becton made it clear on Twitter what his natural position is.
Becton took to Twitter early Saturday morning to say, “I. AM. A. LEFT. TACKLE!!!”
The 6-foot-7 oft-injured offensive lineman is heading into the final season of his rookie contract after the Jets declined to exercise the fifth-year option earlier this week.
With veteran Duane Brown back in the fold for the upcoming season and the team drafting Pitt left tackle Carter Warren, some have speculated Becton could return from injury and take reps at right tackle.
He was not feeling it, but it appears he will have no choice unless he can work for it.
Speaking to the media today, head coach Robert Saleh made it very clear that if Becton wants to be the left tackle, he is going to have to go out there and earn it.
“Go earn the left tackle,” Saleh said, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
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The Jets drafted Becton with the 11th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. While he offers tremendous upside, Becton has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career.
The past two seasons have seen him appear in just one game. He played in just one game during the 2021 season and then missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in August. If you’re missing that amount of time, you have no say-so in where you play when the team cannot depend on you being on the field.
Despite the team declining his fifth-year option, the head coach did mention he was impressed with the work the lineman did this offseason.
“He looks good. He looks fantastic, really,” Saleh said. “He’s attacking this offseason the right way and I’m excited for him.”
