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8. Linebackers still a work in progress
About the only sure-fire thing we know about the linebackers is that Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a constant that the Vols can depend on at outside linebacker. Depth behind him in the form of Cortez McDowell and Elliott Berry is developing as well. Outside of that, the defense is still looking for answers in the process of replacing A.J. Johnson. Nobody is stepping up and grabbing that inside linebacker spot yet.
Dillon Bates is getting reps, but, coming off shoulder surgery, he’s being eased back in. Gavin Bryant has been labeled as some as one of the hardest hitters on the team, but he’s still learning what to do. Kenny Bynum is a consistent, though not spectacular option. That’s a battle that very well could stretch into the fall when Jakob Johnson and Darrin Kirkland join the mix as well.
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