Packers respond to offensive line problems by signing a former Super Bowl champion guard
Green Bay worked out Mekhi Becton on Monday, and they immediately signed him to a deal.
The Green Bay Packers are not done adding offensive linemen after a disastrous first stretch of the regular season. According to multiple reports, the Packers worked out free agent offensive lineman Mekhi Becton on Monday morning, and immediately signed him to a deal. He was initially signed to the practice squad, with the potential to be elevated up to three times during the regular season and promoted to the active roster if necessary.
Becton, a former 11th overall pick by the New York Jets, is a Super Bowl champion with experience at both guard and tackle. He represents the latest move in Green Bay’s increasingly urgent search for competent play up front.
Becton’s NFL journey
Mekhi Becton was selected 11th overall by the Jets in 2020. He played mostly at left tackle during his time with the Jets, logging 1,621 snaps at LT and 101 snaps at right tackle. He then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 and moved inside to right guard, where he had a career year. Becton played 903 snaps at right guard for Philadelphia, posted a 74.4 PFF run block rate, and allowed only 24 pressures that season. He was a Super Bowl champion two years ago.
That performance earned Becton a two-year, $20 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2025 free agency. The results in Los Angeles, however, were far less encouraging. Becton started at right guard for the Chargers and played 734 snaps, but he was a liability. He allowed 37 pressures and struggled in the run game. The Chargers released him this offseason, making him available on the open market.
A problem Green Bay should have addressed sooner
Becton certainly didn’t live up to his draft stock over the course of his career. Still, if he can recapture something close to what he was for the Eagles, or even find a middle ground between his best and worst stretches, he would be a passable option at right guard for the Packers.
The guard play in particular has been atrocious for Green Bay so far this season, with Jacob Monk, Donovan Jennings, and rookie fifth-rounder Jager Burton all failing to provide stability. The Packers have already made moves to address the problem, signing Cordell Volson to their practice squad (a former starting guard for the Cincinnati Bengals) and adding Laken Tomlinson off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. Becton follows that trend of bringing in experienced veterans.
The Packers are exploring options now, but this is something they probably should have done earlier in the process, whether in the middle of training camp or before it began. Green Bay was not counting on injuries to Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele. The right tackle is now out for the season with a knee injury, and Banks is dealing with knee and toe injuries.
