We have reached the point in free agency where it has become slim pickings.  Having said that, the Steelers still have many holes to fill on their roster.  Among the most pressing is tackle depth.  As we stand right now, this team has Dan Moore, and Broderick Jones as the only experienced tackles on the roster.  There isn’t much to choose from in the free agent pool, but one name to keep an eye on for a  Steelers free agent targets is Mekhi Becton.

The Skills:

Mekhi Becton is certainly built like an NFL tackle.  Becton measured in at 6’7”, and 368 pounds coming out of Louisville in 2020.  This was a player considered to be a very good tackle prospect, so much so the New York Jets drafted him 11th overall that year.

It started out pretty well for Becton in New York.  He finished his rookie season with a 74.4 overall PFF grade that season.  That season was the highlight of his NFL career unfortunately.  Injuries have taken a toll on Becton since 2020.  He missed nearly all of his 2021, and 2022 seasons with two separate knee injuries.  An ankle injury cut short his 2023 season, although he did play 16 games overall.  The comeback from all his injuries was not as smooth as he would have liked.  Becton had a poor 2023 season only managing a 53.3 PFF grade. The Jets left tackle was tied for first in sacks allowed (10), and second overall in penalties (18). https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/mekhi-becton/59818

 

The Money:

As you might imagine, Mekhi Becton entered free agency without a lot of leverage.  This is evidenced by the fact he remains on the market this late in the process.  This should cost the  Steelers no more than a one year deal at, or near the league minimum.  At worst, it would be a two year deal for a bit more.  There should be no guaranteed money risk whatsoever with a player with this kind of injury baggage.

The Skinny:

Signing Mekhi Becton is purely a traits play.  You are betting that a full season past those devastating knee injuries could be an indicator of better play moving forward. Mekhi Becton does have some right tackle experience, making him a good swing tackle option.

At worst the Steelers would have solved their depth problem at tackle.  At best, they strike gold on a former big time prospect who can take over at right tackle.  This would allow the team to move Broderick Jones back to his natural left tackle position.  In terms of Steelers free agent targets Mekhi Becton isn’t ideal, but he does offer some upside for a position that needs it,

Check out some of our other free agent targets here: Steelers free agent targets: Lloyd Cushenberry