Eagles

Mekhi Becton Should Absolutely Come Back to Philadelphia, and Re-Enroll at Stoutland University

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jan 26th, 2026 · 10:57 AM EST

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Tony Pauline at Essentially Sports:

After seemingly turning his career around, word at the Shrine Bowl is that Mekhi Becton has reverted to his former ways, and the Los Angeles Chargers will opt out of the final year of his contract.

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A one-year stint with the Eagles saw him get his game and life back on track, culminating in a Super Bowl ring and a new two-year, $20 million contract with the Chargers last offseason. But he’s been a disappointment despite starting 15 games.

Becton’s run and pass blocking were both a disaster, and he was ranked as one of the worst guards in the league.

The Chargers can opt out of the second year of his deal, and people at the Shrine Bowl tell me that’s exactly what will happen.

Becton didn’t have a good season out there. He had a training camp injury and was banged up through the early part of the schedule, which sounds an awful lot like the situation Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson were in. He didn’t grade well at PFF and was benched at one point. He called it a “frustrating” season and just never really settled in with the team, the scheme, all of it.

The Chargers can save a good chunk of money if they release him, so it seems like it’s gonna happen.

Do the Eagles need Becton? Of course they do. They should have a DocuSign ready to go the minute he’s released.

Tyler Steen was alright this year, better in pass protection than run blocking, but the entire line underperformed and Steen found himself between an injured Jurgens and a backup in Fred Johnson. But Becton was a monster in 2024, like a front end loader in the run game who fit in perfectly. If nothing else, bringing him back here as a backup guard or swing lineman would make a ton of sense, especially with Johnson, Matt Pryor, and Brett Toth all being free agents. Becton turns 27 in April and after this Chargers season there probably aren’t going to be teams lining up for his services. He should come home, get healthy, re-enroll at Stoutland University, and show everybody that last season was a fluke.

DO THE DEAL