Last off-season, the Eagles signed Mekhi Becton to a 1 year, 2.75 million dollar deal. Originally signed to be the Eagles’ swing tackle, head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland decided to try him out at right guard and compete with Tyler Steen for the starting job. As we know, Becton won the job and made a successful transition over to guard. He performed well as a run blocker and adequately as a pass blocker, and he solidified the Eagles’ offensive line as the best in the league.
So, will the Eagles re-sign him?
Becton clearly loved his time in Philly as the team revived his career and went on to make the playoffs, something that Becton had never done before, eventually going on to win the Super Bowl. I’m sure if money were not an issue, he’d love to re-sign. But everything revolves around money in the NFL, and Becton might be a luxury the Eagles cannot afford. There has been speculation that Becton would be willing to take a pay cut to re-sign with the Eagles, but I don’t see that as likely. Becton struggled in his 4-year Jets tenure as he dealt with multiple injuries and was inconsistent when on the field after being taken with the 11th pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He had to resort to taking a cheap deal last off-season. Now he has the chance to make life-changing money on a new contract. I don’t see him passing that up.
So, will the Eagles be willing to shell out that kind of money for him?
It’s a possibility, considering how much the Eagles value the offensive line. I’m sure they would love to bring back the same line that led Saquon Barkley to a 2,005-yard season and enabled him to break the all-time record for yards in a season, including the post-season. But considering their cap situation and the presence of Tyler Steen on the roster, it doesn’t seem likely that Becton will be back in an Eagles uniform next season. To me, this a good decision. Steen played adequately when he got chances this season and has room for development with guru offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland after being taken with the 2nd pick in the 3rd round two years ago. They shouldn’t shell out their limited cap space to bring back a player at this position, even though it would be nice to have Becton back.
