Mekhi Becton‘s first year away from the New York Jets has been a successful one. Not only did he secure the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting right guard position and help Saquon Barkley eclipse 2,000 rushing yards, but the Louisville product is set to make his first Super Bowl appearance.
Becton is arguably the most noteworthy former Jet on either roster heading into Super Bowl LIX. Thus, it’s no surprise that the media is pressing him to speak about his former team, with whom he had a tumultuous tenure on and off the field.
Asked on Thursday to compare the difference between the cultures in New York and Philadelphia, Becton paused before giving a relatively coy response.
“I would say that they’re very confident. I would say that the Philly organization is very confident, they know what they’re about to do, they know what they’re gonna do, and they’re gonna go do it.”
After a tenure in New York that was loaded with off-field drama, Becton deserves some credit for taking the high road here. He could’ve used the opportunity to lament his former team, but gave a business-like response to address the question and keep it moving.
Still, his comments may hold some weight. Perhaps Becton’s perspective stems from the Eagles’ front office and coaching staff expressing more belief in his potential than the Jets did.
Whether or not that is true can be debated. New York spent a first-round pick on Becton and gave him many chances to figure things out, while Philadelphia signed Becton on a modest one-year, $2.75 million deal and did not initially expect him to start. Nonetheless, Becton seems to be impressed by the collective “confidence” of the Philadelphia organization.
While injuries were the primary cause of Becton’s unsuccessful tenure with the Jets, he was often his own worst enemy. Becton struggled to stay in shape, publicly spoke out against his head coach, argued with fans on social media, and performed poorly on the field. His ensuing success in Philadelphia makes it easy to ridicule the Jets, but perhaps Becton simply needed the change of scenery to mature and get his game on track.
However, the Jets cannot be completely absolved for Becton’s early-career woes. Most importantly, they never provided Becton with quality coaching. The Jets cycled through three offensive line coaches in Becton’s four seasons, the latest of those being Keith Carter, who has been publicly criticized by many of his former players.
Meanwhile, Becton’s resurgence can largely be attributed to veteran offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. The Eagles’ veteran assistant has built an extensive track record of developing quality offensive linemen since he became Philadelphia’s OL coach in 2013.
The Jets hope that new offensive line coach Steve Heiden can halt the franchise’s OL coach carousel and prevent more Jets-to-riches stories like Becton’s. All too often, players struggle in New York and suddenly find success the moment they leave. Until that cycle stops, the media will continue asking players to paint the Jets in a negative light compared to their new home.
