The Saints have signed former Cardinals’ and Washington running back Tim Hightower to a reserve/futures contract, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN (via Twitter). Hightower suffered an ACL injury in 2011, and hasn’t played in the NFL since, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (via Twitter).
Triplett noted that it hasn’t been the recovery of the actual injury that has kept Hightower away from football, but rather his health troubles are due to an infection that has lingered during his recovery.
Since joining the league in 2008, Hightower has enjoyed moderate success in limited playing time. He averaged less than 150 carries per year during his three full seasons in Arizona, never missing a single game during his time with the team. He was effective in finding the endzone, scoring 23 touchdowns over that span. He added another two touchdowns in Washington, but only made it through five games with the team before getting injured.
The Saints worked out Hightower in November, but ultimately decided to sign veteran Brian Leonard instead, according to Triplett (via Twitter).
Just because the team has added Hightower does not change the status of free agent Mark Ingram. Larry Holder of NOLA.com notes that Hightower is no guarantee (via Twitter).
Triplett believes there is a chance that Ingram will leave the team, but notes that Hightower’s presence on the roster will have no bearing on the Saints’ decision at all (via Twitter).