Jets Rumors: Injured Mekhi Becton Ahead of Duane Brown, Expected to Be at Camp

Mekhi Becton could replace Duane Brown as the New York Jets left tackle this fall.

Becton is ahead of Brown in his injury recovery, ESPN's Rich Cimini reported. He is expected to be ready for training camp, while Brown is "noncommittal" about when he can return.

Becton is recovering from right knee surgery completed last August, while Brown underwent shoulder surgery this spring.

Becton, who missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign, played as a right tackle for New York in 2021. He told reporters in May that he warned the team before the season that this position would not work for his surgically repaired knee, per CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo.

"It made no sense to put me at right tackle," Becton said. "I hurt my right knee. That's going to be the knee that I put the most pressure on... I got forced to play a position I don't play."

That means Becton will be looking to play left tackle when he returns. Brown has played at the position since joining the NFL with the Houston Texans in 2008 and does not seem interested in switching to the right, Cimini reported.

"It's not something I've practiced over the years," Brown said. "Not to say I can't do it, but I've been solidified [at left tackle] for a while."

Adam Pankey, who last saw NFL action for the Miami Dolphins in 2021, played at left tackle during open practice this week, per Cimini. Max Mitchell, who made was a Week 1 starter for New York last year but missed half the season due to a blood-clotting condition, practiced on the right.

While recovering from injury, Becton has also slimmed down to what he has said is his preferred playing size, further improving his case to be the Jets' starter at left tackle for the Week 1 kickoff.