Tennessee football: Four Vols whose return to health could help in 2020

Last year, Trevon Flowers suffered a season-ending injury when he broke his leg while coming down with an interception against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That opened the door for Jaylen McCullough to shine.

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However, now, Nigel Warrior is gone, so Tennessee football has another opening at safety. That is one position that will have some competition this offseason, as Jeremy Pruitt likely doesn’t quite know where to turn. Taking that into account, Flowers coming back is a very welcome addition to the Vols’ secondary.

There’s no doubt that Flowers can play. He covers a lot of ground and consistently shows his instincts from playing high school baseball in the outfield. Provided he returns to full strength and keeps all his physical abilities, which may require a month of action, he should be able to immediately step in and be effective again.

Flowers and McCullough starting together would make for a great combination. Remember, the guy was proving that he was an elite athlete before the injury. By getting hurt, McCullough was able to develop alongside Warrior, and he is now much more experienced with Flowers coming back to offset Warrior’s departure.

As a result, Flowers getting healthy is No. 2 on the list. His injury helped a guy develop, and his return helps to offset a key loss. Add in the depth he builds in giving Pruitt options to work with at safety, and his return is definitely a plus.