It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Tennessee’s biggest concern is going into the 2016 season.

The Volunteers need to solidify their passing game by September. QB Joshua Dobbs and a receiver corps led by Josh Malone, Josh Smith and Ethan Wolf need to improve over the offseason.

It’s not that the Vols had a bad passing attack in 2015 — they didn’t. Dobbs threw for 176.2 yards per game with 15 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Across the board, Tennessee was good in almost every statistic.

But on a team that seems solid in almost every area, the passing game is the obvious weakest link.

To break through and win the SEC East for the first time since 2007, the Vols need an improved passing game. They should get past a weaker non-conference schedule — Virginia Tech is the toughest opponent — unblemished.

The Vols must show improvement quickly. Early games against defensive powerhouses Florida and Georgia, likely to determine the division champion, may require improved passing, particularly downfield. The Vols ranked 92nd in the nation in passing yardage in 2015 at 198.6 per game.

Big plays often determine big games. And the Vols didn’t many through their passing game in 2015. They ranked 82nd in long passing plays with only 36 passes resulting in gains of 20 or more yards and only nine pass plays of 40 yards or more.

Though the Vols converted on 97 of 211 (45.9 percent) third-down attempts to rank 21st in the nation, they were only 20 of 50 (40 percent) in losses to Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas. The stat’s importance was shown in the Vols’ strong 7-for-13 performance in an impressive 19-14 loss at national champion Alabama.

Finding a standout receiver would help. Neither Malone nor Smith have developed into top-flight SEC receivers. Not yet, anyway.

Bringing in potential playmakers was a top priority for Butch Jones’ staff, which signed four receivers, including 6-foot-5.5 junior-college target Jeff George and four-star athlete Marquez Callaway, in Wednesday’s recruiting class. The Vols return four other receivers and one tight end that contributed in reserve roles last season.

Dobbs’ accuracy and the receivers’ ability to create big plays aren’t the only worry in the passing game. The Vols lost LT Kyler Kerbysen. Chance Hall and Brett Kendrick, who each have started games at tackle, are the frontrunners to replace him.