Tim Hightower Will Reportedly Re-Sign with New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints will reportedly re-sign running back Tim Hightower after his eight-game stint with the team last season, according to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network first reported on March 8 that the Saints were trying to work out a deal with the free agent.

He rushed for 375 yards and four touchdowns on 96 carries while serving in a complementary role in his first NFL action since 2011.

Hightower was a fifth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2008. He proceeded to score 23 touchdowns across his first three seasons in the league, including 10 as a rookie.

The Richmond product joined the Washington Redskins in 2011 but only appeared in five games before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. The Redskins signed him back for the 2012 campaign, but he was released before the season began.

He ended up sitting out the next three seasons before the Saints finally gave him another chance. His best performance came in Week 16 when he tallied 122 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com provided comments from the 29-year-old rusher after that outing: "It wasn't a nervous feeling at all, it wasn't an anxious feeling. I was just so excited. I wanted to get back to work. When you have an opportunity like this that I've been given, you just want to take advantage of it. You don't want it to end."

John Hendrix of the Sun Herald noted the hard work the veteran put in to earn the shot:

Hightower has never been an explosive playmaker, as illustrated by the fact that he's averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in his career. But he can be a reliable piece of a backfield rotation with the power to handle short-yardage and goal-line situations.

He's a nice fit alongside Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller for the Saints.