Eagles Reuniting With Former Champion Guard Is Perfect Gamble As Offseason Winds Down

Mekhi Becton is still on the market. He shouldn't start, but the Eagles need depth at guard. It wouldn't hurt to bring him in.

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The Philadelphia Eagles need help at guard.

Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen are the starting guards. Both are primed to have good seasons, assuming Dickerson stays healthy and Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson are healthy enough to get the best out of Steen.

What happens if one of those two are injured? Who do the Eagles turn to as the No. 3 guard?

The Eagles did sign one veteran option in Michael Jordan, but they need more veteran depth behind the starters. Philadelphia is developing a lot of interior offensive linemen, but it wouldn't hurt to have another veteran in the room.

Mekhi Becton is still available.

Would it really hurt the Eagles to entertain a reunion with Becton at this stage of the offseason? A reunion is unlikely, but having Becton in the fold would significantly help the guard position.

Let's entertain a potential reunion with Becton. Why the Eagles should do it, why they won't do it, and why Becton is still available.

Why the Eagles should bring back Becton

The state of the guard position behind Dickerson and Steen is the biggest unknown on the Eagles roster. This is one of the most intriguing battles of training camp.

Michale Jordan does answer some of those questions, but he hasn't practiced with the Eagles since he signed after minicamp. Jordan predominantly plays at left guard, so he's more of an insurance policy for Dickerson. Starting 49 game sin his career is a plus for the Eagles on that side of the offensive line.

About the right side...

The battle for Steen's backup will be interesting. Micah Morris is a sixth-round rookie and hasn't played a regular season snap. Drew Kendall is the backup center and has never played a regular season snap at right guard. Willie Lampin, Hollin Pierce, and Myles Hinton may also get opportunities to play right guard.

Would it hurt the Eagles to bring in Becton -- just to compete with the young players for teh job. Test the toung offensive linemen and see if they can beat Becton out.

Becton is at the stage where a one-year deal worth under $2 million is possible. There wouldn't have to be much guaranteed money tied into him.

There's no sunk cost to bring in Becton. Give him a shot.

Why the Eagles won't bring back Becton

This is a simple one. Becton may not fit the offense Sean Mannion is installing and the tutelage of new offensive line coach Chris Kuper.

Becton was a Jeff Stoutland project and had his best year of his career under Stoutland. This is how he got paid by the Los Angeles Chargers, even if last season was a disaster for him.

Simply put, Becton may not be a fit. The Eagles don't have to pay much for Becton, but it wouldn't matter if he's a square peg in a round hole in this offense.

The Eagles also have to see what they have in Kendall and Morris. Kendall is a valuable at center, but the Eagles are cross training him at right guard to give him an opportunity to play.

Morris needs the opportunity to have second team reps in camp, which will help in his development. The Eagles also spent a whole year developing Hinton, Lampkin, and Pierce. They owe it to themselves to see if either of these players can be anything in training cmap.

Development is a thing. The Eagles need to develop young offensive linemen.

Why Becton is still available

Becton had a disastrous season with the Chargers, getting released after one season with the team. Pro Football Focus ranked him 79th out of 81 qualified guards, and he was the worst run-blocking guard in football (per their grading system).

Becton allowed four sacks and 33 pressures at right guard last season, a pressure rate allowed of 7.7%. His 33 pressures allowed was 72nd out of 81 qualified guards.

In other words, Becton was bad last season. Outside of his one season with the Eagles (with Stoutland), Becton hasn't lived up to his potential as a former first-round pick.

A reunion with the Eagles would be nice, but this isnt the same Becton the franchise rejuvenated two years ago. With all due respect to Chris Kuper, he's no Jeff Stoutland.