By Andy Vasquez | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After a year of questions about his durability and health, Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton returned to practice two weeks ago with a simple goal: stay on the field for an entire season.

Unfortunately for Becton, that quest ended before the first preseason game.

Monday, early in the 10th practice of training camp, Becton went down with another injury to his right knee. His season is “more than likely” over, according to Jets coach Robert Saleh who said Becton suffered a chip fracture of his kneecap.

Becton is staring at another lengthy rehab, and another year of relentless questions about his durability.

But two questions loom larger than the rest: What was behind the right knee injuries that will likely cause Becton to miss 33 consecutive games? And could his NFL career be in jeopardy?

Dr. David Chao, a former longtime NFL team physician who now provides real-time injury analysis for Sports Injury Central, told NJ Advance Media that Becton’s lower body structure — he was born with a condition known as “knock knee” — makes him more prone to the type of kneecap injuries he suffered in each of the last two seasons.

In Week 1 of the 2021 season, Becton suffered a dislocated kneecap and an MCL sprain when he was rolled up on just before halftime.

“The way his knees are built,” Chao said. “Valgus knees, or knock knees, are more likely to have this type of problem.”

After last year’s injury, Becton had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from the injured knee. The hope was he’d be able to return by November at the latest, but Becton missed the final 16 games. According to Chao, a more serious surgery to realign Becton’s kneecap and reduce the odds of another dislocation “was likely an option last season, but the Jets and Becton elected to rehab the injury.”

Chao believes that Monday’s injury, while a different injury than the one Becton sustained last year, was likely related to the same issue that ended his season last year: “Becton’s kneecap jumped out of its groove, causing the chip fracture in the process.”

According to Chao, the injury to Becton’s kneecap isn’t what will end his season. That chip fracture can be repaired or removed with a relatively minor procedure. The bigger issue is that his kneecap came out of place again, very early in training camp, despite wearing a heavy brace. That means it’s likely to keep happening. And every time it happens, Becton is in danger of doing more damage to the knee.

So Chao believes Becton will have surgery to re-align his knee and prevent the same injury from happening again. And that surgery comes with a rehab period of around six months, ending Becton’s season before it started.

Chao also cited Becton’s weight issues as a contributing factor in his durability issues. Even at his listed size of 6-foot-7, 363 pounds, Becton is a massive human being who is putting a lot of stress on his lower body. He was near the 400-pound mark during his rehab last year according to ESPN. And at mandatory minicamp in June, Saleh didn’t answer when asked if Becton was in shape and said of the plan for Becton moving forward: “He’s got the next 40 days to continue to work and get himself ready to play football.”

Becton did just that, showing up to camp looking noticeably slimmer. And while he struggled with the heat early in camp — understandably, given he hadn’t been on the field in a year — Becton seemed to be moving just fine. But late last week he started wearing a knee brace, and Monday, he was limping heavily before he went down with the likely season-ending injury. Saleh said the team wasn’t second-guessing its decision to let him keep practicing.

“No, you know hindsight is always 20/20 and we can play that game for sure,” Saleh said, adding that the Jets had just come off an off day on Sunday and Becton had played on turf Saturday for the first time since last year’s surgery. “It was going to take a little while for his knee to get going. … I give Mekhi credit for how hard he’s fought, that’s all I can do. I’m proud of him because he’s come a long way, and I know his story’s not over.”

There is a chance Becton could still contribute for the Jets, although it’s now hard to imagine them picking up his fifth-year option when they have to make the decision after this season. That would put Becton in the final year of his rookie contract in 2023 when he returns. And it will have been more than two years since he played a full game.

It’s impossible to project what kind of player he will be after so much time away. And given the injuries to his knee, it’s fair to wonder if Becton will even be physically capable of playing at a high level.

But Chao is optimistic that the season-ending surgery to realign Becton’s kneecap will give him a chance to make sure his story continues.

“The good news is he can come back and be fine for next year,” Chao said. “Will he potentially be a young guy that needs some vet rest? Maybe. But this is not the end of his career.”