Becton’s injury is to his surgically repaired right knee, but it is a separate issue
The New York Jets are braced for the worst following Mekhi Becton‘s MRI on Monday afternoon.
Becton came up limping heavily during practice and had to be helped off the field. Head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were seen in deep conversation moments later.
After practice ended on Monday, Saleh sounded optimistic that Becton had avoided a serious injury. “As of now, it doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal, but knock on wood,” the coach responded to a question about Becton, proceeding to do just that. He said that the knee was stable, meaning that the doctors were hopeful that there was no structural damage.
Related Article: Mekhi Becton leaves Jets practice early with apparent leg injury
However, in the evening, reports started to surface that Becton’s injury was much worse than originally thought. The news came in drips and drabs as if the Jets beat was preparing fans for the worst and breaking the news slowly.
#Jets OT Mekhi Becton’s knee injury is more concerning than the team originally believed following practice today, sources tell me and @RapSheet. It’s a new injury and unrelated to his previous knee injury. Becton has additional medical appointments tomorrow to get more clarity.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 8, 2022
Connor Hughes followed up to gradually reveal that the team was “preparing for the worst”:
The #Jets are very much preparing for the worst when it comes to Mekhi Becton news, I'm told. More tests tonight & tomorrow.
A brutal blow for the former first-round pick. He missed all of 2021 with a knee injury, now a chunk of his 2022 is in jeopardy. https://t.co/Q76z24xtH1
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 9, 2022
Later, Hughes reported that the injury was to the patella, which is the kneecap.
#Jets LT Mekhi Becton's injury is to his knee cap & patella, sources tell @SNYtv.
The additional tests are to determine just how severe those injuries are. The fear is that there might be more damage than that.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 9, 2022
Fans may recall that Victor Cruz’s initial injury that sent his career into a downslide was a tear of his patellar tendon. It appears that Becton fractured the patella itself.
A little later, Hughes tweeted what Jets fans had already surmised.
There is legitimate fear Mekhi Becton's 2022 season could be over, I'm told. #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 9, 2022
After all of the drama surrounding Becton this offseason and training camp, it appears that the worst has come to pass. From missing the entire 2021 season to speculation about his weight to minor scrums with the media, it has certainly been an eventful ride for Mekhi.
Unfortunately, it seems that he may not get the opportunity to make the media eat their words. In fact, it’s likely that much will be said and written about Becton’s weight in relation to his second consecutive crushing knee injury.
Joe Douglas is left with an immediate quandary at tackle. Duane Brown, who visited with the team over the weekend, is the obvious candidate. Other free-agent options are Eric Fisher, Darryl Williams, and ex-Jet Brandon Shell. Douglas can also check in on Teven Jenkins, the 2021 second-round pick from the Bears who is on the trading block.
The team can still get its offensive line on track to protect quarterback Zach Wilson and allow the running game to take off. This is just not the way they wanted things to go down.
