While Alabama got good news on the status of Jam Miller on Thursday night, heading into this weekend's Third Saturday in October rivalry matchup with Tennessee, an unexpected name was added to the injury report.
Redshirt junior TE Danny Lewis Jr. popped up on the availability report on Thursday and was officially listed as questionable for Saturday. Lewis has been dealing with a nagging injury since camp. He missed the first three games of the season because of it, making his season debut against Georgia at the end of September.
He made his first two catches of the season a week ago against Missouri, producing 17 yards. His second catch was the most important, picking up six yards on a 3rd-and-goal from the eight that ultimately set up the touchdown pass by Ty Simpson to Daniel Hill that gave the Crimson Tide a 10-point lead late in the game.
Lewis's impact as a blocker is also key for Alabama's running game, and if he's unable to go, it'll be a big blow for the Crimson Tide.
Where Alabama would turn without Danny Lewis Jr. vs. Tennessee
Lewis is listed on Alabama's depth chart as the starting "Y" TE, which is more of the inline blocking TE. His backup on the depth chart is redshirt freshman Jay Lindsey, who is about 20 pounds lighter. Alabama could also turn to senior Brody Dalton, who transferred from Troy following the spring, but has yet to carve out a role this year.
West Virginia transfer Jack Sammarco could also be a blocking option, though he has yet to play any non-garbage time snaps this season and appears to be trending toward a redshirt.
Freshman Kaleb Edwards, while not listed on the two-deep, is the guy I would most expect to get increased playing time in place of Lewis if he isn't able to play. At 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds, Edwards is plenty big enough to make an impact as a blocker, but he is also a mismatch in the passing game. He has seen action in every game so far and even earned a start against Wisconsin.
Fellow freshman Marshall Pritchett has also seen early playing time and could factor into the TE rotation on Saturday.
Hopefully, Lewis is able to play as his experience is invaluable. But Kalen DeBoer and the coaching staff did an excellent job adding depth to the TE room this offseason to be able to cover for injuries like this.