The Packers are signing offensive lineman Mekhi Becton, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Monday. It's reported, not official, and the order of operations tells you something: Becton worked out for Green Bay before agreeing, so the team got a look at him in person before putting anything on paper.
Becton is a guard in this arrangement, joining Laken Tomlinson, a former teammate, on the interior. That familiarity is worth more than it sounds like. Interior line play is largely about knowing when the guy next to you is going to pass off a stunt, and two players who have been through it together can speed up that learning curve.
Where he fits: a veteran body in a room that needed one, competing for an interior job rather than being handed one.
What the signing signals is that Green Bay still views its offensive line as a work in progress. That's the honest read on an offensive line addition like this one.
Now the part most fantasy managers get wrong. An interior lineman signing is almost never a reason to move a running back or a quarterback in your rankings, and this one is no exception. Becton's value to your roster is indirect. If he wins a starting job, the Green Bay backfield gets cleaner lanes on early downs, and that's a marginal bump. Don't chase it on waivers. Don't pay for it in a prop market.
My verdict: this is a depth-and-competition move that helps the Packers more in December than it does right now. If Becton is starting by midseason, the run game is the only place you'll actually feel it. If he isn't, nobody in fantasy will notice, and that's fine too.
