Becton likely wrapping up Gang tenure
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The 2023 season was a mixed bag for Jets tackle Mekhi Becton.
Becton will start his 16th game of the season Sunday against the Patriots, a big accomplishment after missing almost all of the past two years. But he has not played well this season, and he is the first to admit he allowed too many sacks and committed too many penalties.
“I didn’t play the way I wanted to in my head, like I did my rookie year,” Becton told The Post this week. “But I played a whole season after everybody thought I wasn’t going to. It was a positive season for me.”
Becton began the year at right tackle then shifted to the left side in Week 3. He missed one game with a sprained ankle but was able to play the rest of the games. That was a big question entering the season after knee injuries ended his 2021 and 2022 seasons early.
“It’s definitely something I can build on,” Becton said. “The last two years I really didn’t have anything to build on. I was just going off my rookie year. It’s definitely something I can go into the offseason and build on.”
Becton’s durability was a plus, but his productivity was not where he wanted it to be. He allowed 12 sacks, according to Pro Football Focus, tied with Tennessee’s Andre Dillard for the most allowed by a tackle. He allowed 50 pressures, tied for fourth among tackles.
Becton also committed 12 penalties, including eight false starts, per NFLpenalties.com.
“I had a lot of pre-snap penalties. I had a lot of sacks. I mean, it just wasn’t like I wanted it to be,” Becton said.
Becton dropped a lot of weight last offseason and said he felt his conditioning was good this year. He played through knee pain all season, something he knows he’ll have to live with.
“I was battling a lot, but that’s the least of my worries right now,” Becton said. “I just pushed through the whole season.”
Sunday’s game may be Becton’s last as a Jet. The 2020 first-round pick will be a free agent this offseason, and it seems unlikely the team will bring him back.
“That’s a question you’ve got to ask the people upstairs,” Becton said of whether he’ll be back. “I would love to be back here to play with Aaron [Rodgers], but it’s a business at the end of the day. It’s not really my decision.”
➤ The Jets made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday in advance of Sunday’s game. They placed QB Zach Wilson ,TE Jeremy Ruckert and G Jake Hanson on IR, officially ending their seasons. All of them are in the concussion protocol. They signed RB Xazavian Valladay , LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball ,OL Chris Glaser and DL Bruce Hector to the active roster. They elevated FB Nick Bawden and K Austin Seibert from the practice squad . ... DT Quinnen Williams received two fines for infractions in the Browns game. He was fined $16,391 for a hitting QB Joe Flacco in the head and $10,927 for unnecessary roughness.