At this time last year, the Philadelphia Eagles were on their way to winning a Super Bowl, and one of the biggest catalysts was guard Mekhi Becton.
After a rocky start to his career with the New York Jets, Becton was rejuvenated with the Eagles’ decision to move him to guard and became a player who was difficult to let walk away as free agency approached. While there was an argument to give Becton a new contract, the Eagles ultimately pivoted and allowed him to sign a two-year, $20 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The decision created a big hole in the Eagles' offensive line that they’re still trying to fill at the midway point of the season. With that being said, Becton hasn’t validated his big payday with the Chargers thus far, and his rocky 2025 season continued as The Athletic’s Daniel Popper confirmed that Becton was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
Mekhi Becton’s Move to the Chargers Has Quickly Gone Wrong
For Becton, the decision to sign with the Chargers looked like a great one. Playing for a physical coach in Jim Harbaugh and a run-heavy scheme under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Becton could do what he does best and pave the way for a rushing attack that has ranked eighth in the NFL in yards per attempt (4.8) and 10th in yards per game (124.0) this season.
Unfortunately for Becton, injuries threw a wrench in that plan, dating back to training camp. Becton missed most of camp with what he described to Popper as “nagging” knee issues. Despite being ready for the start of the season, Becton also suffered a concussion in Week 3 and a hand injury in Week 5 before suffering another knee injury during a Week 8 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Even worse is that Becton hasn’t been good when he’s been able to play. According to Pro Football Focus, his overall grade of 41.0 ranks 80th among 85 qualifying guards this season. While he has not allowed a sack, he’s allowed 13 pressures on 204 pass-blocking snaps and almost committed as many penalties (four) as he did all of last season (five) with the Eagles.
Then again, this could have been something Philadelphia saw coming. Becton has an extensive injury history dating back to his days with the Jets, including an avulsion fracture of his right kneecap, which forced him to miss the entire 2022 season. After logging a career-high 1,158 snaps with Philadelphia last season, it would be fair to question whether Becton has much mileage left on his 6-foot-7, 363-pound frame.
It’s probably why the Eagles declined the chance to pay Becton $10 million per season and why his trip out west has been anything but a Hollywood ending.