At least this can be said for the Green Bay Packers’ front office: they are trying to do something to address the team’s issues on the offensive line. A few days after signing former Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad over the weekend, the Packers are adding another former first-round draft pick to the roster.
Joining Tomlinson in Green Bay will be Mekhi Becton, a six-year NFL veteran and the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Louisville.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Becton worked out for the Packers on Monday morning and then signed with the team almost immediately.
Becton has been a primary starter for three different teams over the last three years, spending 2025 with the Los Angeles Chargers after starting at right guard for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles during the 2024 season. He started his career with the New York Jets, but he missed almost all of the 2021 season with a torn ACL. He then injured the same knee in training camp the following season and missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign before returning to play 16 games in 2023.
With the Chargers, Becton struggled a bit, but he played 16 of the team’s possible 18 games with 15 starts, all at right guard. Becton also played against the Packers twice as an Eagle in 2024, playing every snap at right guard in the Eagles’ Week 1 and Wild Card victories. The 6-foot-7, 360-pounder becomes a real candidate to step in and get immediate playing time, possibly competing with Tomlinson for snaps at guard.
Interestingly, Becton and Tomlinson overlapped as teammates with the Jets for two seasons, during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. As noted earlier, Becton missed the entire 2022 campaign, but the two started at left tackle and left guard, respectively, during the 2023 season. Also involved in the Jets’ organization that year was former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who held the OC and playcalling duties in New York. Packers fans may also remember that the 2023 season was Aaron Rodgers’ first with the Jets as well, which ended just a few plays into the game when he tore his Achilles tendon.
The signings of both players will likely appear on the NFL’s transaction wire on Monday afternoon. Expect the Packers to make room for these two players on the 53-man roster by placing Zach Bako-Bewele and Jayden Reed on injured reserve.
