Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton has wasted no time setting expectations for his rookie season.
During a Zoom call with the media on Monday, Becton laid out the two goals he would like to achieve in his first season of professional football. One is a personal goal, while the other involves the Jets accomplishing something they have not been able to do for nearly a decade.
“I want to start as a rookie and I want to make the playoffs,” Becton said. “Those would be my rookie goals.”
Becton’s first goal is all but a foregone conclusion. As long as he avoids any sort of injury in training camp, Becton is primed to be the Jets’ starting left tackle once Week 1 of the regular season comes. Although he has yet to take a single snap in the NFL, Becton’s size and athleticism make him the most impressive offensive tackle on New York’s roster. Earning a role in the starting lineup is only the beginning for him.
As for his second goal, it’s going to take a team effort to make that one happen. Becton can do everything in his power to protect Sam Darnold and give Le’Veon Bell holes to run through, but if the rest of the offensive line isn’t doing its job, Gang Green’s franchise quarterback is going to spend a lot of time on his back and Bell will spend most of his time running into a herd of defensive linemen.
It’s been tough for Becton to get to know his new teammates with the COVID-19 pandemic and New Jersey’s stay-at-home order keeping the Jets away from their facilities, but he has been making due in a virtual setting. Throughout quarantine, Becton has made a point of not only learning the ins and outs of Adam Gase’s playbook, but also developing a relationship with the veterans in the locker room. He’s been texting Darnold and Bell in hopes of getting to know them better.
Developing chemistry with his new teammates will go a long way in Becton’s ability to achieve his goals as a rookie. If he can check both goals off once January rolls around, the 2020 season will go down as a successful one for the Jets.