Our O Line has been playing better than last year, and Fant has notably been providing good pass protection at LT. On the other hand, GVR remains rotten at RG, and Moses, while decent, is not playing that great at RT. Moses' contract is also up at the end of the year. So of course LDT should be given every opportunity to replace GVR at right guard. The RT situation might also be improved by inserting Becton at RT when he returns. This keeps Fant at LT, where he is evidently more comfortable and provides better pass protection than Becton. It puts Becton in a more favorable position to play to his strength, which is run blocking. Becton played on both the left and the right sides at Louisville.
The issue is that Becton wasn’t struggling because of the side of the line he was on. He was struggling because his foot speed against smaller edge rushers is not quick enough. Stick him on the right side and that doesn’t fix his issues and it might exacerbate them because he’s less comfortable over there.
Sounds like you're ready to give up on Becton--no foot speed for tackle and too tall/can't bend low enough for guard.
The Jets need to build the OL the right way. Go draft some more people so you have the best chance to mold the talent to your system. The C, RG and RT are all passing prime at this point and the LT has difficulty staying on the field. The way to fix all of that is to draft 2 or 3 linemen in the first 4 rounds next year and build the line. The alternative is the line will age out (again) and whoever is playing QB and RB will suffer from the dropouts (again) and the Jets will gain no traction on being competitive in the process.
I’m not really sure what to make of Becton. He can dominate and he can get beaten like a drum. In between all of those he’s going to be hurt no matter what it seems. He does seem like a horrible scheme fit for what LaFleur wants to do as a mauler rather than a quick footed tackled. My point though was that you alluded to moving him to the right side. That doesn’t fix what he struggles with. This isn’t the 1994 NFL season where run blockers play right tackle and left tackles pass block. Defenses will adjust to make the tackle struggle and he has made it clear he prefers the left side in his first training camp/never playing the right side.
You make good points about the current OL system and the game. I just like Becton's athleticism and want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can increase the instances of domination and decrease the beatings, particularly if he can lose a few pounds. Might not running regularly to the right side behind Becton (and a new RG like Kenyon Green) make defenses think twice about putting a 250 pound pass rusher at LDE? This assuming that Becton can lose a few pounds and stay off IR, of course.
Zach failing to step up to avoid the outside pass rush didn't help either.....but I get it. With GVR releasing pass rushers untouched up the middle, I'd step back too.
For starters, Mekhi "Golden Corral" Becton needs to lose weight and get into football shape. Not only will he be quicker / faster, but getting into the correct condition to play in the NFL will cut down on injury for sure. So far he has been a huge disappointment only because he cannot stay on the field. The raw talent is there for sure.
If a right tackle struggles with speed rushers, defenses will recognize that and move their speed rusher over to go after him or blitz defensive backs and linebackers. That’s why I’m saying moving him to right tackle doesn’t fix it. I think the weight concerns are somewhat less of an issue than everyone makes it. It’s more of a concern because it shows he’s not committed to be an upstanding professional and he’s more prone to injury at a heavier weight. He’s a big man naturally and he’s always going to be heavy. Big dudes like him carry a lot of weight, especially at his height. I don’t know that there’s a ton to fix that.
I've noticed in recent weeks that ALL of the right side of the OL could afford to improve. McGovern has really struggled recently. GVR is hot garbage and that should be oobvious to everyone, Moses is an OK player but certainly not great. IMO, ALL of the 4 players we're referring to LDT, Moses, McGovern, and GVR are all short term rentals. My feeling is JD will definitely be placing a high priority on OL in the next draft. Center, RG, RT all of those positions JD could be looking at bringing in a day one pick. Maybe not RG because JD still believes in Cam Clarke? But the rest you can be sure JD is looking at improving.....
