


Jets head coach Robert Saleh delivered a message for Mekhi Becton on Saturday.
On Friday, Saleh declared that both of the Jets’ offensive tackle spots were open in a competition and that he would play his “best five” on the offensive line.
That opened up the door for Becton to land at either left or right tackle.
That seemingly did not sit well with Becton.
The 2020 first-round pick tweeted: “I. Am. A. Left. Tackle!!!” on Saturday morning and appeared to delete the post later in the day.
Saleh was asked for his response to that.
“Go earn the left tackle,” Saleh said. “Competition.”
Becton has only played in one game in the last two seasons because of injuries. He was slated to play right tackle last season entering training camp before he suffered a season-ending knee injury. As the roster stands right now, Duane Brown, Becton, Max Mitchell and Billy Turner could be fighting for the two starting spots.
Becton has worked hard this offseason and has lost around 50 pounds. Saleh said Becton has been an active participant in the offseason program and he expects him to keep working.
“Wake up and find a way to get better and maximize who you are every single day,” Saleh said. “That’s it, that’s the expectation. If it leads to starting, if it leads to a left tackle position, it doesn’t matter. If you go to bed satisfied with the way you approached the day and the way you attacked it, then odds are it’s probably going to work out in your favor. If it doesn’t, at least you can go to bed with no regrets.”
The Jets have had their rookie minicamp this weekend. The way Saleh sets it up, the team’s draft picks don’t do much. They are off to the side for most of practice while the tryout players and undrafted free agents go through a light practice. Saleh explained his reasoning.
“I don’t know if it’s like this around the league but it’s my personal philosophy that on those [predraft top] 30 visits they get out of shape,” he said. “Once their Pro Day is over and they’re on those 30 visits, they just don’t get a lot of work in. The draft picks are here. They’re just kind of working off to the side, trying to get acclimated. We’ll see what those guys look like once they get back next week.”
Rookies are not allowed to be with their teams this upcoming week. They will return in a week to participate in the offseason workouts with the veterans.