Mekhi Becton of the New York Jets criticized the coaching staff for its management of his injuries, and Robert Saleh responded to Becton's comments, saying that he is on the right track.
“I'm not going to get into the negative of all of it,” Robert Saleh said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “It's not about finger pointing. What I'm focused on, though, is over the last six months Mekhi has done an unbelievable job of getting his weight down to where it's a healthy weight that's sustainable. He's been available during OTAs. He's been prompt and very diligent with regards to meetings. I think he's probably in the best shape of his life. He's got a smile on his face and he's attacking it. That's what's important.”
Saleh went on to say that if Mekhi Becton continues to approach the offseason the way he has, good things will happen.
“Whatever happened in the past, happened in the past. It's not about finger pointing. It's about moving forward. If he keeps approaching this offseason the way he has and he keeps attacking it the way he has, excited to see what he does with this fourth year.”
The Jets declined Becton's fifth-year option, which was not a surprise. He said that playing right tackle contributed to his injuries.
“It made no sense to put me at right tackle,” Becton told Newsday. “I hurt my right knee. That's going to be the knee that I put the most pressure on [while backpedaling in pass protection]. I explained it [to the coached], but no one cared.”
Becton got hurt during camp in 2022 and ended up getting reconstructive knee surgery.