Tim Hightower will turn 31 in March, an advanced age for an NFL running back.
But the veteran from the University of Richmond – recently signed as a free agent by the 49ers – hasn’t taken the consistent beating that most players his age have received.
Hightower, who played the past two seasons for the New Orleans Saints, lost most of the 2011 season and then all of 2012, 2013 and 2014 because of a torn knee ligament, surgery and a following infection.
He fought back, however, and landed with the Saints as a backup in 2015, appearing in eight games. In 2016, he played all 16 games, carrying the ball 133 times for 548 yards, a 4.1-yards-per-carry average, and four touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown.
The 6-foot, 226-pounder has been a skilled receiver out of the backfield during his tenure with Arizona, Washington and New Orleans. As a rookie in 2008 with the Cardinals he caught 34 passes. The next year he caught 63. Over the past two seasons with the Saints, Hightower caught 34 of the 39 passes thrown his way. His signing gives the 49ers a versatile back behind starter Carlos Hyde and another piece of a potentially sturdier backfield in 2017 with DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis and new fullback Kyle Kuszczyk.
New 49ers general manager John Lynch tweeted, “We got better this week” with the signing of Hightower and re-signing of Harris.
Nick Shook of NFL.com noted that Hightower “looked rejuvenated” for the Saints in 2016 and was highly productive. Hightower, in fact, stepped in as a starter for New Orleans midway through the season when No. 1 back Mark Ingram was hurt and had a pair of big days, running for 102 yards against Seattle and then 87 against San Francisco the following week. Against Carolina in November, he had 69 yards rushing and 57 yards receiving.
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Wrote Shook: “(Hightower) might have more left in the tank than your average 31-year-old tailback. It’s another low-risk signing for an organization that is becoming well-versed in them rather quickly, with the potential for significant reward.”
The 49ers also are expected to add a running back in the draft, which begins April 27.
