After losing a lot of extra weight, Mekhi Becton now has to gain a little ground.
The battles for three open jobs on the offensive line — left tackle, right tackle and center — started Thursday when the Jets held their first training camp practice.
After playing in one game over the past two injury-plagued seasons, Becton is in the mix at both bookends but is no guarantee to be ahead of any from among Duane Brown, Billy Turner and Mix Mitchell on a merit-based depth chart just because he is a former first-round draft pick.
“He’s full-steam [ahead],” head coach Robert Saleh said. “He’s done a great job this offseason in terms of getting his weight down. He looks awesome, and he’s moving around really well.
“He’s in a good mental space, so he’s full-go and part of the competition.”
Brown missed practice for personal reasons, so a knee-braced Becton, Turner and rookie Carter Warren all took snaps at both tackle positions, according to Saleh.
Becton made it clear in the offseason that he wants to be at left tackle, and he reportedly blames the Jets for leaving him more susceptible to repeat injury to his right leg by moving him to right tackle last offseason.
“The good thing about this is we’ve got five tackles that we feel really excited about to compete for two spots,” Saleh said. “And we’ve got three centers that we’re really excited about competing for that one spot. I think through that competition, guys are going to get a lot better. … The easiest way to motivate a player is through competition, right?”
A crowd of fans at camp hollering for Becton’s attention — instead of criticizing him as Twitter mobs often do — received a thumbs-up.
“Mekhi’s vibes are high. He’s really excited to get back — the whole team knows that,” right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker said. “Physically — you’ve seen it all over social media — he looks like a beast, better than ever. I know he’s excited to prove to himself that he’s still got it.”
Returning three-year starter Connor McGovern, rookie Joe Tippman and, to a lesser degree, Wes Schweitzer are the options at center.
“It’s going to be a good battle,” Vera-Tucker said. “That’s what comes with playing team sports. I know Gov will help Tippman as much as he can, and Tippman will take all of his advice. Hopefully they can learn from each other.”
Vera-Tucker is the reliable middle of an uncertainty sandwich to his left and right sides.
But even he is coming off a season-ending torn ACL as one of six Jets offensive linemen who landed on injured reserve during a hard-luck 2022 season.
“It was tough physically and mentally. I feel like I was having a good season,” Vera-Tucker said. “Our O-line handled the circumstances really well and merged together, and I feel like that helped us build our connection with each other into this season.
“If everybody stays healthy, we should have a pretty successful O-line.”