According to Connor Hughes of SNY, there’s “legitimate fear” that New York Jets offensive lineman Mekhi Becton could be done for the 2022 NFL season before it even starts.
Becton was injured in training camp on Monday and “instantly grabbed his surgically-repaired knee,” according to Hughes.
After practice, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that the Becton injury “didn’t seem like a big deal.”
But it seems that the injury very much *is* a big deal.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported that the injury is more serious than the Jets initially believed, adding that it was unrelated to Becton’s previous knee injury. Hughes then followed up with a series of tweets, saying that the Jets are “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
Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports that Becton has “a small chip-sized fracture in his previously surgically repaired knee.” Hughes adds that the injury is to Becton’s “knee cap and patella,” and the “fear is that there might be more damage than that.”
This is all brutal news for Becton and the Jets.
Becton, 23, was the 11th overall pick by the Jets in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Louisville. He suffered what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. For the 2022 season, Becton was expected to be New York’s starting right tackle.
Saleh says that Becton will be the right tackle. Fant will be the left. Not a competition. #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 27, 2022
So, the Jets’ offensive line has already taken a major hit before the preseason even begins, and that’s particularly concerning when trying to do everything to protect second-year quarterback Zach Wilson.
Here’s a peek at how the NFL world is reacting to the Becton news:
I feel awful for Becton. Comes into camp in shape & ready to go. Now this… https://t.co/NIvqxwUoXb
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) August 9, 2022
UPDATE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Becton “has suffered an avulsion fracture of the right knee cap.” Becton is likely out for the season.