When Jordan Mailata went down with an apparent leg injury, it spelled disaster for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now, sure, technically, the team kept things going without Mailata on the field, with Jalen Hurts continuing to move the ball well and Philadelphia leaving the field with a W in front of their home crowd, but moving forward? Gosh, it would certainly be tricky to remain competitive long-term, especially if Mailata lands on IR.
Discussing Mailata's timeline and the Eagles' strategy to combat it moving forward, Nick Sirianni revealed how the left side of the Eagles' offensive line could look like for at least the next few weeks, even if he wouldn't explicitly lay out the strategy so early after the injury.
When Mailata went down, the Eagles gave the nod to Fred Johnson, their swing backup tackle, who has appeared in all five games with one start this season. While he hasn't been great in 2024, especially when tasked with starting in place of Lane Johnson, it will be interesting to see if the Eagles do make the move and give Mekhi Becton a shot at left tackle, as he was drafted high by the New York Jets to fill that role long-term before flaming out and landing at right guard for the Eagles.
Eagles LT Jordan Mailata has been impressed with Mekhi Becton
Discussing the prospects of Becton going from a tackle-only player for the Jets to a guard in Philadelphia with inside-out versatility over the summer, Mailata celebrated what he's seen from the Louisville product, as he firmly believes his willingness to learn should make him a better player.
“Mekhi's done a great job of just saying yes,” Mailata told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “He hasn't questioned him, he's never said, ‘I've never done it.' In fact, he embraced the opportunity to learn how to play guard, and you know, when I see things like that from Mekhi, it just makes me want to play next to him if his number is called. Because you want guys who are just going to be willing and able to put the team first before their own needs.”
Now granted, when Mailata made those comments, he certainly didn't think Becton would be taking his spot. Fortunately, because Becton went from one of the premier backup tackles in the NFL to maybe the biggest – physically – right guards in the game, the Eagles were able to have their cake and eat it too, recuring a premier reserve, and a capable starter for the low, low price of $2.75 million. If Mailata can't go for the rest of the month, Becton has the potential to make waves by filling his similarly massive shoes.
