Kalen DeBoer gives a promising injury update on Alabama star WR Ryan Williams

Speaking on the SEC coaches' teleconference, Kalen DeBoer provided a promising update on Alabama star WR Ryan Williams.
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Alabama star WR Ryan Williams suffered a concussion during the second half of the Crimson Tide's 31-17 season-opening loss to Florida State last week. Williams went up for a leaping catch between Seminole defenders and took a big hit that led to his head slamming against the ground. Williams left the game and did not return.

The star sophomore has been in concussion protocol since, and while he still hasn't been cleared, Kalen DeBoer provided a promising injury update on Wednesday during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference.

Williams was spotted in practice video on Tuesday in a black, non-contact jersey. It was a brief moment, but it looked like he was running and going through drills, just with zero contact, as you would expect.

Ryan Williams could be on track to play against UL Monroe on Saturday

Williams has received heavy criticism for his performance in the Crimson Tide's season opener. Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron bashed Williams for "being scared" of contact. The sophomore WR lined up almost exclusively in the slot after spending most of last season on the outside.

It will be interesting to see if that continues or if DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb decide to move him back to the outside. Williams playing the slot has its advantages in creating mismatches, but his slender build makes it a fair question of whether or not he can hold up to an increased amount of hits going over the middle.

Early returns on that are negative.

Williams is one of Alabama's most important players. He's the best skill position player on the team, even accounting for the continued emergence of Germie Bernard, who was one of the few players who played well in Tallahassee.

But Williams is different. He's a game-changer and will continue to be the focal point of defensive game plans. Alabama needs to get him healthy to be able to reach its ceiling.

It's why the smart move would be to hold him out of this game on Saturday against UL Monroe. Alabama should handle business just fine without its star WR.

The counterargument to that, however, is that the Alabama offense looked lifeless for large chunks of the game last week, and they need to build a rhythm before SEC play begins. They have three weeks to get in sync before a pivotal trip to Athens, where they will face Georgia in a match-up that could make or break the season.

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