Tight Ends One Of Few Offensive Bright Spots For Alabama In Loss To Sooners

Josh Cuevas and Kaleb Edwards had career days in Alabama's 23-21 loss on Saturday.

Nov 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide tight end Josh Cuevas (80) runs with the ball against Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Owen Heinecke (38) during the first half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

One of the few bright spots in Alabama's offense in its 23-21 loss to Oklahoma last week was the team's tight end play. Josh Cuevas was the Crimson Tide's leading receiver with six catches for an FBS career high 80 yards and a touchdown, while Kaleb Edwards pulled in a 25-yard reception to set a career high of his own.

"Cuevas and Kaleb do an amazing job," head coach Kalen DeBoer said. "The tight end position has always been important to our offense. It's not just the pass game, but it's the run game. The ability and flexibility that these guys have to line up wide, be in the core, move around, it's not just physical, but it's mental capacity to do all these things."

Cuevas started his career at FCS Cal Poly, earning All-Big Sky recognition after a dominant redshirt freshman campaign. He then transferred to Washington in 2023 to play for DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa after the season's end.

"Josh is an elite tight end. He's as good a player as we have on this football team," Grubb said. "He's always a viable target, and he's definitely a guy who has the courage to get in there and block as well, you saw him on a couple iso blocks. He's a phenominal player. He's a guy that breaks tackles, he's not just a tight end that's going to catch a stick route and fall down. He's absolutely a spark in our offense in a lot of different ways, so super valuable guy."

Cuevas has 30 receptions for 341 yards and four touchdowns on the season. He's scored two touchdowns in the past three games and has emerged as a trusted red zone option, hauling in the game-tying two-point conversion in the final minutes against South Carolina last month. He also has sneaky athleticism, which he put on display on a 25-yard touchdown and 20-yard catch-and-run out of the flat.

Untouched. 🙌@JCuev_80

📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/TDkFgUc9EB

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 15, 2025

"Josh is a stud," DeBoer said. "We see him on one play make a guy miss in the flat, toe the sideline, and then lower the shoulder at the end of the run. That's just the competitiveness he has."

Edwards has seen consistent reps on the field as Alabama's second-string tight end, but he has still never caught more than one pass in a game. He had a 25-yard reception to get Alabama in the red zone on a set play that featured a fake stumble from Ty Simpson and running back Jam Miller.

Alabama runs the Lions fake stumble 👀
pic.twitter.com/yhuGmLZkXt

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) November 15, 2025

"Kaleb just continues to get better," DeBoer said. "You can see him with the pad level for a big guy, continuing to work on it. He's got great hands. He's been a guy throughout the year that you can consistently count on to catch the ball in tough places."

Edwards looks the part of the next great Alabama tight end. At 6'6, 264 pounds, he is almost identical in stature to O.J. Howard, and his speed has led to comparisons to the former Crimson Tide star.

In the meantime, Edwards and Cuevas have their work cut out for them as integral parts of an Alabama offense that is, to put it lightly, struggling. With a receiving corps that is underperforming, an offensive line that has been a liability at times, and a running back room that has had issues in pass protection, the importance of the tight end feels amplified in this offense. Cuevas and Edwards will undoubtedly play a huge role in all facets of Alabama's offensive gameplan as the Crimson Tide looks to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.