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Eagles agree to a one-year deal with former Jets tackle Mekhi Becton

Becton, 25, figures to serve as a depth swing tackle. He was the 11th overall pick in the draft by the Jets in 2020.

Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was a first-round pick by the New York Jets in 2020.
Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was a first-round pick by the New York Jets in 2020.Read moreFrank Franklin II / AP

Offensive line depth is on the way to Philly.

The Eagles have agreed to terms with Mekhi Becton on a one-year deal, a source confirmed to The Inquirer on Sunday. The deal will be worth up to $5.5 million.

Becton, 25, figures to serve as a depth swing tackle. The 6-foot-7, 363-pound Becton spent the last four years with the New York Jets, the team that selected him No. 11 overall in the 2020 draft out of Louisville.

He has played 31 games (30 starts) over the course of three seasons (2020-21, 2023). He missed the entire 2022 season while dealing with a knee injury. Of his 984 career snaps on the offensive line, Becton has mostly played at left tackle (883 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus).

In 2023, Becton started 16 games, playing a career-high 95% of the offensive snaps. However, he allowed 12 sacks on 644 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF, which was the league high among starting tackles.

While he hasn’t lived up to his draft pedigree, Becton will have the opportunity to continue to develop under Jeff Stoutland, the esteemed Eagles offensive line coach for the last 12 years. He joins an offensive tackle group led by starters Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, plus depth tackles Fred Johnson and Le’Raven Clark.

The news of Becton’s pending deal comes on the heels of the draft, in which the Eagles failed to select an offensive lineman until Day 3. After bolstering the defense on Days 1 and 2, the Eagles took former Michigan guard Trevor Keegan in the fifth round and former North Carolina State center Dylan McMahon in the sixth round.

“It’s just how the board fell,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “I think there was a run on offensive linemen in some areas where we didn’t pick. When we came back and picked in some of those rounds, it didn’t really fit. We felt like it was more important to stay true to our board than to just kind of reach.”

The Eagles also lost a pair of depth tackle/guards in Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta in free agency. They signed with the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.