While the Alabama Crimson Tide did cruise to a dominant 48-10 Week 1 win over East Carolina, the program did so without a few prominent players who were not available due to injury.
Could some of those players be close to returning though as the Crimson Tide begin SEC play in Week 2?
During his Week 2 press conference on Monday afternoon, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer commented on the return timelines of three Crimson Tide players currently dealing with injuries. Of the three, it appears that running back AK Dear and safety Jireh Edwards could be returning soon, while wide receiver Noah Rogers is not far away either, per DeBoer.
“I think your guys that are the closest are Jireh and AK, and then Noah just down the road here just a little bit,"
DeBoer said. "Wanted to get them out there, just keeping the progression and part of their transition back, but I think Jireh and AK you can see here very soon. All three, just their process of recovery has gone very smooth. Probably quicker than you’d expect, but we also got to be careful.”
Both of Dear and Edwards suffered injuries during fall camp, while Rogers went down during the Crimson Tide's spring game. All three are projected as impact players when healthy at their respective positions, with Rogers a potential starter.
Alabama will travel to Kentucky this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Kalen DeBoer updates status of injured Alabama players ahead of Week 2
