Needless to say, almost nothing went according to plan for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025.
When star tackle Rashawn Slater went down with a torn patellar tendon in an offseason workout, the ceiling of the offense was immediately capped. Then, when Joe Alt went down with a season-ending ankle injury, thing somehow got more dismal.
The sub-par production of the interior of the line didn't help matters, either. Bradley Bozeman and Mekhi Becton were among the worst in the league at the their positions. Although Zion Johnson showed flashes of being a capable starter, he didn't do enough to merit an extension this offseason.
The line as a whole needed to be overhauled. Bozeman retired, Becton was cut, and Johnson was allowed to walk in free agency. But of those pieces, only Becton is left searching for a job as we exit Week 2 of training camp.
Becton never seemed to find solid footing with the Chargers. He struggled with injuries, and he expressed frustration publicly at the way Los Angeles handled his snaps. After a career-reviving year with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chargers' swing on Becton in free agency did not turn out to be a serendipitous union for either party.
But as the season rapidly approaches, there will be a team that will take a swing on Becton as a depth guard. It simply depends on whose depth chart opens up first.
Mekhi Becton will get another NFL chance in 2026— it simply depends on who has the greatest need
As mentioned, Becton's 2025 campaign was less than inspiring. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed a whopping 37 pressures and three sacks on 444 pass-blocking snaps. He was the third lowest-rated guard in the NFL according to PFF's grading system.
But after making the switch from tackle to guard in 2024 with Philadelphia, Becton played an integral role on a Super Bowl-caliber offensive line. So which version of him is the real one?
Probably somewhere in between.
Becton is large and has a solid anchor, but struggles to prevent interior pressure against more athletic pass rushers. He's also been limited, beyond the major knee injury he suffered in 2021, by a series of various small ailments and injuries. He is, at this point in his career, likely a rotational guard—not a bona fide starter in most offenses.
But there are teams at this time of year who would be willing to take that swing. Grant Gordon at NFL.com recently listed four potential suitors for Becton— the Seattle Seahawks, the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seahawks currently have Anthony Bradford established as their starting right guard, but it was rumored that rookie lineman Beau Stephens could make a push over the next couple of weeks to challenge for that job. It seems as though Bradford has held it down in the meantime, though, meaning that this path might be blocked off for Becton.
The Eagles have been a potential match all offseason, although the position coach that maximized him during his time there, Jeff Stoutland, departed the organization after the end of the 2025 campaign. Philadelphia has Tyler Steen and Landon Dickerson at their two guard spots, but their depth beyond those pieces is less than inspiring.
The Cardinals, for their part, have an ongoing battle for the right guard spot between Isaiah Adams and recent draft selection Chase Bisontis. Bisontis looked solid in his first preseason game, but he still has a lot of development to undertake in pass protection before he's ready to be a plus NFL starter. Perhaps an injury in Arizona could open up a spot for Becton.
The most likely suitor at this point, then, feels like San Francisco. Dominick Puni had a solid season at right guard in 2025, playing over 1,000 total snaps and remaining relatively reliable for the bulk of the campaign. But the 49ers know better than most organizations how quickly a team's depth can be taxed. Taking a flyer on someone like Becton to join the competition for left guard alongside Connor Colby, Carver Willis, and Robert Jones could be a savvy move, assuming no singular player asserts themselves over the next week or so.
In short, there should be an opportunity for Becton out there before the season starts. He's the top guard left on the market at this point in the offseason, and that's a relatively flexible position to be in as a free agent at a position of high need.
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