The Jets brought in Duane Brown last season to help fill the gap at left tackle after injuries to Mekhi Becton and George Fant. The Jets got 12 games out of the 37-year-old despite battling a shoulder injury all season. The Jets decided to re-sign Brown this season to stick around at left tackle.
Becton will compete for the job at right tackle. But the 2020 first-round pick believes he should be in Brown’s position. Becton took to Twitter to share some thoughts on that. “I. Am. A. Left. Tackle!” Becton said in a since-deleted tweet.
Head coach Robert Saleh was asked Saturday about that tweet. Saleh had a simple answer: “Go earn the left tackle. Competition.”
Saleh recently said he is going to play his five best offensive linemen. Could Becton be one of those five? Perhaps. But the Jets also just declined to pick up Becton’s fifth-year option following two seasons of knee injuries that have caused Becton to miss 33 of the last 34 games.
2023 is going to be an important season for Becton and he knows it. He’s clearly motivated, as evidenced by his 50-pound weight loss this offseason. Now he has the chance to cash in on a bigger contract next offseason if he performs well this season. That starts with the competition in camp, be it at right or left tackle.
