The Los Angeles Chargers spent big to sign Mekhi Becton last year, but the team could cut him after just one underwhelming season. A former first-round pick, Becton entered the league as a tackle but found success at guard with the Philadelphia Eagles. Starting and appearing in 15 games, the Louisville product finished the season with a 70.8 PFF grade while helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl.
Becton cashed in on this success, landing a two-year, $20 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain his high play, as he was an outright disaster during his first season on the West Coast. Finishing the season with an atrocious 36.6 PFF grade, Becton played a crucial role on the league’s worst offensive line, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes the team should admit their mistake and release the veteran.
“The Bolts signed [Becton] to a two-year, $20 million contract after turning his career around with the Philadelphia Eagles,” Knox writes. “[His PFF grade] included a dead-last grade in the run game. That’s the antithesis to the kind of guard that Jim Harbaugh wants in his offense.”
Breaking: Chargers Likely to Cut Mekhi Becton After One Season
Quite frankly, it would be astonishing if the Chargers didn’t release Mekhi Becton. Los Angeles had the NFL’s worst offensive line last year, and replacing Becton should be one of their top priorities. While the tackle situation will improve with Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater returning to the field, there’s no excuse for the poor guard play. It’s anyone’s guess who will play guard next season, but it’ll be hard for them to be worse than Becton.
The Chargers need upgrades at both guard positions and center. Fortunately, they have over $88.5 million in projected cap space next year, and that will only go up after they release Becton. They should be able to spend big and land multiple offensive linemen in free agency.
Main Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images