The Jets expect to be a much-improved team in 2022 from the 4-13 team they were last season. If nothing else, they certainly will look a lot different when training camp opens on July 26.
A lot can happen in the six weeks after that, and it will set the tone for this important season. So here’s a look at the five biggest summer storylines for the Jets…
There was absolutely no doubt about Mekhi Becton’s place as a cornerstone on the Jets’ offensive line when training camp began last summer. He was GM Joe Douglas’ first-ever draft pick. He had just finished a terrific rookie season. His future seemed so bright.
But by the time last season ended, everything had changed.
It was a complete waste of a year for the 23-year-old Becton, who missed all but one game with a dislocated kneecap that caused enough damage that surgery was needed. While he was out, he lost his job to George Fant. He also seemed to fall out of favor with the coaching staff and seemed to frustrate some in the organization when his weight and slow progress turned a six-to-eight week injury into a season-long affair.
Now he’s back, but the mystery around him has only deepened. Is he returning as the Jets’ left tackle, or is he moving to the right side? Is he really a fit for the Jets’ wide-zone blocking scheme? Is he a player the coaches think they can count on when it counts?
And for that matter, is he even fully recovered from knee surgery? It’s impossible to know, since he chose to skip all of the Jets’ offseason workout program, at least in part due to the birth of his first child. He was at the Jets’ mandatory, three-day minicamp in June, but wasn’t able to participate. Neither was Fant, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery, too.
Just based on numbers, a healthy Becton figures to be a starter at one of the tackle spots. The Jets have depth at the position, but when they failed to re-sign Morgan Moses in free agency their best option to replace Becton was gone. Their depth players are just that – depth players. Veterans like Conor McDermott and Chuma Edoga, and rookie Max Mitchell, a fourth-round pick.
But Becton’s position with the Jets is complicated by his own status and the emergence of the 30-year-old Fant, who is in the final year of a three-year, $27.3 million contract. He signed with the Jets in 2020 to be their right tackle, even beating out Moses for the job last summer. Moving him to left was never much of a thought until Becton got hurt. But he proved to be a great fit at that spot and the line thrived.
The Jets might be better off leaving him there, protecting young quarterback Zach Wilson’s blindside. Then again, that’s Becton’s natural position and he might be more comfortable there as he works his way back into playing shape. And who knows how long it’ll take him to do that anyway? He’s still listed at 363 pounds, but there were rumors all offseason that he had ballooned well beyond that during his recovery.
If he’s still working his way back into shape and rehabbing his knee, the Jets might have to keep Fant at left tackle, and then at right tackle they’ll have to consider a Plan B.
That’s why this summer battle is so intriguing. It’s not just about deciding which tackle fits best where: The Jets also have to decide if Becton can be fit in anywhere at all.
