Not much has been heard about Mekhi Becton over the last couple months, so when he was made available to the media on Monday as the Jets closed out their season, there were a lot of questions about the big man’s status.
Here’s the quick and dirty: he’s slim, trim, and ready to rock this offseason.
“I’ve been losing a lot of weight –don’t I look skinny?” Becton laughed with reporters. “But I’m really close to being able to do football stuff, and feeling good.”
Becton has played just 15 games in three years due to various injuries, the latest a pair of right knee injuries that kept him out for most of the last two years, but as he approaches the final guaranteed year of his deal, he’s eager to prove he’s not a bust.
“I know my future’s bright, because I know what I can do,” Becton said. “I’m not going to be down on myself, and I’m real prepared. This is what I do. Y’all seen me do it before, so why can’t I do it again?”
That said, the last two seasons have been a grind mentally as well as physically, so keeping his head in the game was just as important as rehabbing his leg.
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“Definitely been a toll on me mentally, so I’ve had to talk to people to keep my mind right,” he said. “It’s definitely been humbling, because it’s kind of hard to get injured when it’s not your fault, and everyone knows that but people continue to point the finger at you that it’s your fault. But they can say whatever they want, I just use it as fuel. I know what I can do, and words aren’t going to bother me.”
One thing that has helped his rehab process? Being able to see his son, Mekhi Jr., now eight months old, growing up.
“It’s been good to be around my son and watch him grow up,” Becton smiled. “It’s been real fun, he’s starting to say dada and stuff, so it’s real cool, and now he knows who I am; if I go downstairs for a while and then come back up, he’ll look at the door and know it’s me.”
Becton will be sticking around New Jersey for both his son and his rehab plan, as he has a new trainer to work with this offseason and will also report to the Jets’ facility now and then. Weight loss is the biggest non-rehab goal, as he said he’s been doing extra cardio every day and attacking rehab alongside fellow lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker.
“I’m very motivated, because I know I need to lose the weight so my knee can be healthy to be able to sustain a full season,” Becton said. “I know what I’m going to do, and I just want to be able to get back out there on the field.”
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“He’s working his tail off, in there grinding, and it’s different this year, because I feel like he’s involved more and likes being around the facility,” AVT said of Becton. “It’s just more uplifting to see him and you know he’s working hard to get back.”
Working hard to get back to be a key cog on the Jets’ offensive line, and hopefully help push them over the hump and into the playoffs next year.
“I was excited for them this year,” Becton said of the team’s 7-4 start. “This locker room, we’re close, so I was real excited for them. I can’t wait to get back, and I’m excited to help out.”
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