Zac Boyer will be entering his third season covering the Washington Redskins for The Free Lance-Star this fall. Make sure to follow Zac on Twitter (@ZacBoyer) for the latest updates or e-mail him with any questions at zboyer@freelancestar.com.
Tim Hightower Announces Return To Redskins On Twitter
By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer
Tim Hightower posted a message on his Twitter account late Sunday night suggesting he had returned to the Washington Redskins, and multiple reports confirmed the running back has agreed to terms on a new contract with the team.
Hightower
Hightower, who turns 26 next week, uploaded a picture of himself wearing a Redskins hat with the message “I’m back.” Teammate Evan Royster responded to the message by writing “Good to have [you] back.”
The running back rushed for 321 yards and a touchdown this past season, his first with the Redskins, before tearing the ACL in his left knee Oct. 23 against Carolina. His rushing yardage remained tops amongst all Washington running backs for another six weeks until Roy Helu, the eventual leading rusher, surpassed him.
Hightower, born and raised in the Washington area, said when the season ended he wanted to return to the Redskins. He met with New England last month but left without agreeing to a deal, and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan reiterated support for bringing Hightower back as recently as three weeks ago.
“We want to have him back,” Shanahan said on April 25, the day before the NFL Draft began. “Obviously, we think he’ll be full-speed by the first of June, the middle of June, and hopefully we’ll get him re-signed.”
Should Hightower prove he’s healthy, he’s likely to resume his role as the Redskins’ featured running back. He ran for a season-high 96 yards against Arizona, the team he was traded from in late July, in Week 2, and had 88 yards on 17 attempts against the Panthers – an average of 5.2 yards a carry – before sustaining the injury in the third quarter.
The Redskins also have Helu and Royster, both entering their second seasons, at the position, and Tristan Davis is still on the roster after finishing last year on the practice squad. Alfred Morris, a sixth-round draft pick out of Florida Atlantic, is one of three rookies the team also has under contract.
