Takeaways From Alabama Football's Tuesday Open Practice

The Crimson Tide returned to the practice field on Tuesday after having both Sunday and Monday off following the second scrimmage on Saturday. Alabama running back Jam Miller was injured during the scrimmage, so Tuesday was a big day to observe the running backs, among other health updates from the Crimson Tide's roster. Here's what we saw during Tuesday's 15-minute media availability.

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Jam Miller is expected to miss multiple games to start Alabama's season, opening the door for other running backs to step into a more prominent role. On Tuesday, the Tide's order at running back was:

Richard Young
Daniel Hill
Dre Washington
Kevin Riley
AK Dear

Young is the most likely candidate to fill in for Miller, but Hill has generated serious buzz during fall camp. With a new position battle raging on for Alabama, it will be interesting to see who takes the reins until Miller returns to the lineup.

Staying with the offense, Alabama's tight ends were working on a blocking sled during Tuesday's viewing portion. The coaching staff was heard praising Brody Dalton for a rep he had during practice, and we also saw Kaleb Edwards working during the drill.

As you can see from the clip, Alabama freshman tight end Marshall Pritchett switched his jersey number. He was listed as No. 18 on the roster, but on Tuesday, he wore No. 14.

Switching sides of the football, Alabama inside linebackers Deontae Lawson and Nikhai Hill-Green stepped over to the defensive line drills and worked on rushing the passer during Tuesday's media viewing portion. They got a couple of reps with Alabama assistant coach Jamey Mosley before the rest of the defensive line joined to get some reps. Lawson looks increasingly comfortable with his knee recovery, the more we see him.

Could Alabama similarly use Hill-Green or Lawson to Jihaad Campbell last season, by moving one of them down to pass rusher on third downs?

Also of note was the return of James Smith (23 in the above clip) to practice on Tuesday. Smith did not scrimmage in either of the Tide's scrimmages due to being banged up. In the clip, Smith looks just as powerful as the last time we saw him take the field.

Alabama opens its season in 11 days in Tallahassee, Florida, against the Florida State Seminoles.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.