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Alabama Football: First bad injury news for 2018 with Terrell Lewis ACL

By Ronald Evans

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Terrell Lewis #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts to an interception during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Terrell Lewis #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts to an interception during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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For Terrell Lewis and Alabama football, bad news came early as Lewis suffered an ACL injury. Check out how the Tide will adjust without its best edge rusher.

Alabama football lost one of its top players this week. Terrell Lewis had surgery on Monday to repair an ACL injury suffered last week. Lewis was expected to be one of the best edge rushers in the nation in 2018.

Alabama football is deep at outside linebacker so the loss of Lewis is not a team disaster. For Lewis, who missed most of last season after an injury against FSU, the injury must be difficult to accept. Lewis played in only four games last season.

Projected to be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Lewis may not be fully recovered in time for the NFL Draft Combine. Perhaps he will decide to stay at Alabama another year.

The Tide is now thinner but very talented at OLB

Outside linebacker is one position where Alabama football can sustain the loss of a top player. Anfernee Jennings and Christian Miller are also top players, though Jennings is more of a run stopper than an edge rusher. Miller is very similar to Lewis in skills-set.

Alabama football also has redshirt senior, Jamey Mosley, sophomore Chris Allen, along with freshmen, Jarez Parks, Cameron Latu and Eyabi Anoma. Anoma needs to add some weight and there are rumors he has made progress doing it. There is no doubt about his talent. He is the Tide’s speed rusher for the future and with the loss of Lewis, the future will be early in his freshman season.

Following the injury to Lewis and the recent dismissal of VanDarius Cowan, Alabama football still has 13 (not counting likely baseball only Keith Holcombe) healthy linebackers. Cowan might have added depth at inside linebacker, but he was better suited to outside linebacker. It appears Nick Saban knew about Lewis’ injury before his dismissal of Cowan. If so, credit the man for making the right decision anyway.

Christian Miller had been rumored as another option for depth at inside linebacker. If that was accurate, the change will now be discarded.

How much does the Lewis injury diminish the Tide defense?

‘Next man up’ is tough to embrace when an injury happens to a top player. The Alabama football defense can be almost as good without Lewis. It can certainly still be good enough to be a championship contender. Alabama football fans cannot help but wonder if the injury portends more, like last season. None of us know, but at least we remember last year’s injuries did not derail a national championship.

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Best wishes to Terrell Lewis. Despite an injury-plagued career, his football future remains bright, even on a different schedule.

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