When news broke that the Philadelphia Eagles were moving Mekhi Becton to right guard during training camp, it turned heads around the NFL world.
Why, fans asked, was Becton willing to play guard for the Eagles when he was so particular about how he was deployed in New York with the Jets? Well, part of it came down to actually getting on the field with regularity, which wasn’t going to happen if he was simply a backup. But it also came down to beating out Tyler Steen coming out of camp.
Discussing how the decision came about, with Jeff Stoutland giving him credit for the call earlier in the week, Nick Sirianni told reporters during Super Bowl media week that he liked the idea of getting Becton on the field and was stoked it all worked out.
“I think we all saw that Mekhi had a lot, a lot of talent, and we knew that we were pretty set there at the tackle spots with [T] Jordan [Mailata] and [T] Lane [Johnson] and just the contributions that they have made and the players that they have been for the duration of their career. And we had a spot, a battling spot there for the guard, and we talked about it as coaches. I talked about it with [Executive Vice President/ General Manager] Howie [Roseman]. Every good idea comes from collaboration and communication with each other. I can’t say that, ‘Hey, that was my idea.’ You know, Stout said that, but I know we came together with that as a staff and with Howie and his staff, as well,” Sirianni told Eagles reporters.
“It means a lot when—I’m emotional, as you guys know. I think sometimes when I say I’m emotional, you kind of think of different things, but I can’t tell you how many times after a game I’m overcome with emotion with just everything, and I love it when other players are like that, too. So, Mekhi and I have had some really awesome embraces after games, and what love about Mekhi is that there’s been games where he’s just been exhausted and his body is just tired and limping off the field after a score but had that smile on his face. Had that connection with his teammates of, ‘Man, I just gave everything up for you guys.’ I love that about him of just, man, he’s giving it up for his teammates. He truly loves his teammates. His teammates love him, and he’s been a great addition, obviously, to this team for this year.”
After failing to get much interest in free agency after his Jets tenure, Becton is now Matt Bowen’s 30th-ranked free agent on ESPN’s top-50 free agents of 2025, so it’s safe to say his tenure in Philadelphia has turned out better than anyone could have hoped. While much of that credit should go to Becton himself and Soutland University, Sirianni helped to fill out the papers and got the collegiate Cardinal enrolled.
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