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Even With a Dominant Pre-Season, Jets’ Becton Could Land at Right Tackle


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Mekhi Becton

The Jets are in a precarious situation with offensive tackle Mekhi Becton.  The big man is coming off of a season-ending injury that knocked him out for all but a few snaps of the 2021 season.  In his place, George Fant stepped in and was one of the better left tackles in the NFL.  This of course put Becton’s future at left tackle in doubt.  When asked if Becton was guaranteed to get his old job back, head coach Robert Saleh offered no guarantees.  It was going to be a head-to-head competition for the left tackle spot.

So as Becton prepares to start his third career training camp, is there a way he could dominate on the left side but still end up on the right?  That all depends.

The season Fant just had a left tackle was by far his best as a pro.  And while Becton was drafted to play left tackle, he did play a fair bit of right tackle in college.  Were Becton to outplay Fant on the left side, that doesn’t mean it would be in the team’s best interest to play him there.

If the Jets believe Becton will be a better player at right tackle than Fant, and that Fant’s best work comes on the left side, it could make sense to move Becton.  Given his physical brand of play, pairing Becton with Alijah Vera-Tucker could be a boon for the run game.  In looking at how well Michael Carter ran the ball last season and the tools Breece Hall brings to the backfield, the potential for a high-level rushing attack is in play.

Becton will enter the season as one of the team’s biggest question marks, both literally and figuratively.  Another question of course will be the progress of quarterback Zach Wilson which will be a primary story line in just a couple of weeks.

 

The post Even With a Dominant Pre-Season, Jets’ Becton Could Land at Right Tackle appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).

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18 minutes ago, More Cowbell said:

I seriously doubt he plays anywhere but LT if he is able to stand up. Fant is gone after this season. There is no scenario where he remains on the team.  The Jets are not breaking the bank after this season to sign Fant. They will pick up a FA or draft a RT. 

I'm going to stay optimistic that the Max Mitchell pick in Round 4 was a good one...

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22 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

There is 0 chance becton is playing LT over fant this year barring injury.  I cant believe people still think this is a possibility.

The absolute best scenario for the team would be for Becton to regain the starting LT position and have Mitchell slide into Fant's spot on the right side in 2023...

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37 minutes ago, jetspenguin said:

For that very reason it makes sense to play Fant at LT. He is better on the left side and Becton can play RT this year and if he does what he is supposed to we move him to the left side and draft a RT

Sent from the NY Jets /Zack Wilson Suicide Watch desk.
 

I think JD already knows what he wants from roster, it will be to trade Fant before the deadline and establish Becton at LT

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20 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

I know PFF isn't the be all end all but Fant as a seasoned vet in 2021 still ranked lower than rookie Becton at LT

Probably because of run blocking. If anyone has a subscription they can see the breakdown.

The issue is, Fant seems to be a descent LT and poor RT. Whereas Becton is likely good on both sides. Short-term, I think descent LT and good RT is probably best. Especially if it puts an extra chip on Becton’s shoulder.

On second thought, maybe we don’t want too many chips on Becton’s shoulders.

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11 minutes ago, GreenFish said:

Probably because of run blocking. If anyone has a subscription they can see the breakdown.

The issue is, Fant seems to be a descent LT and poor RT. Whereas Becton is likely good on both sides. Short-term, I think descent LT and good RT is probably best. Especially if it puts an extra chip on Becton’s shoulder.

On second thought, maybe we don’t want too many chips on Becton’s shoulders.

GIF by The Good Place

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5 hours ago, jetspenguin said:

For that very reason it makes sense to play Fant at LT. He is better on the left side and Becton can play RT this year and if he does what he is supposed to we move him to the left side and draft a RT

Sent from the NY Jets /Zack Wilson Suicide Watch desk.
 

We just drafted a right tackle in Mitchell    He should be ready next year

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that's what the coaches are supposed to do.  put the players at the positions so they help the team.  putting becton at right tackle is much like what they had in 2009 and 2010 when they had brick at left and woody at right.  woody was a bigger guy than brick.

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In my opinion the left tackle spot will all depend on how Becton and Fant handle reps against Lawson. Becton sucked against the speed rush… Fant did a good job against both the speed and bulrush last season.

If Becton  comes in to camp at 375+ I think he is our right tackle this season.

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11 hours ago, Joe W. Namath said:

There is 0 chance becton is playing LT over fant this year barring injury.  I cant believe people still think this is a possibility.

I personally agree with this 100%.  Giving everything that we know, how could the organization "give, reward, etc" Becton the LT spot over fant unless he comes to camp at 350 and is literally throwing guys around the field day in and day out.

Fant is a true professional who has gotten better every year he has been in the league, working his tail off to get the most out of his physical ability.

Becton - to date has done the exact opposite.

On top of that, it appears Fant is more comfortable at LT which seems like a better spot for him and the line as a whole.

Becton should come in to camp as the RT unless as I said, he absolutely dominates and is in great shape.

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17 minutes ago, BCJet said:

I personally agree with this 100%.  Giving everything that we know, how could the organization "give, reward, etc" Becton the LT spot over fant unless he comes to camp at 350 and is literally throwing guys around the field day in and day out.

Fant is a true professional who has gotten better every year he has been in the league, working his tail off to get the most out of his physical ability.

Becton - to date has done the exact opposite.

On top of that, it appears Fant is more comfortable at LT which seems like a better spot for him and the line as a whole.

Becton should come in to camp as the RT unless as I said, he absolutely dominates and is in great shape.

Hasn’t this been debunked?  We have seen pictures of Becton training hard and he looks to have less per cent body fat than most of this boards posters.  He is never going to be a runway model but he is a huge powerful man.

Becton has had injuries which have derailed his career.    Fwiw  they both were injured last year.

I guess we will see come camp but I’m expecting a great season if he is healthy.

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I was suggesting playing Becton on the right side as a rookie because Fant was a more natural left tackle, but they clearly wanted Becton on the left side and I imagine that they still do. I don’t believe they see Fant as a long term solution. They certainly haven’t been in a rush to extend him. Becton, otoh, could be. If he has anything close to a dominant preseason, I’d expect to see him on the left side. 

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11 minutes ago, slats said:

back in my room

wish you were dead

you bawl like the baby

in Eraserhead

amazing the things time and experience do to you. I remember being really young and disgusted by that little creature and yelling at Henry to kill it! Now, decades after, I think of that poor little thing's suffering, never having asked to be born. Perhaps the random mutation that gives rise to the species that replaces homo sapiens as the dominant predator on the planet. Henry may have inadvertently stunted the darwinian chain. 

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7 hours ago, Bowles Movement said:

We just drafted a right tackle in Mitchell    He should be ready next year

He is a 4th round pick. NO WAY are we going to bet everything we are doing on a player that may never develop and even if he does it would be a momumental leap for him to develop in only 1 year. 

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5 minutes ago, nycdan said:

Whichever side Becton plays on.  If he plays well, prepare for a landslide of videos from Brian Baldinger.  I don't think Becton has a bigger fan in the business and I'm here for it.

 

 

Sure, but the next guy Baldy is critical of, will be the first.

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