Redskins running back Tim Hightower started five games last season before he was lost for the season with a torn ACL on October 23. With nine months of rehab behind him, Hightower says he has no concerns.
“I feel good,” Hightower told the Washington Post. “I’ve got work to do, but I feel better. It feels good to finally be out there on the field and I’m not watching. . . . I have confidence. I had confidence when I was laying up in the hospital. But I think it’ll get better. It’ll get better with time and it’ll get better with training camp. I’m not worried about it.”
Even if he’s 100 percent healthy, Hightower won’t necessarily be back in the starting lineup when the season starts. When Hightower went down, two rookies -- Roy Helu and Evan Royster -- filled in for him, and both of them were more effective than he was. Hightower, however, said he’s less concerned about who the No. 1 running back is than about being the best running back he can be.
“Whether that’s starting . . . it doesn’t matter,” Hightower said. “I don’t look at all the stats and all that stuff. All I know is, I want to be the best and I want to be a part of the best. We have a lot of depth at a very good position. We’ll determine that. Our play will determine that and how we push each other is going to determine that. I don’t think anyone has won a job the first day. I don’t think anyone has lost a job the first day. I think we’ve all got to push each other and we’ve all got to make each other better. Come that first game, the best man will be on the field.”
We don’t yet know if Hightower will be the best man. But he says that if he’s not, it won’t be because of his knee.