The San Francisco 49ers will need some running back depth behind Carlos Hyde and anyone can guess how/if Shaun Draughn and Dujuan Harris can work in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Fortunately, there’s outside options. Mike Triplett, who covers the New Orleans Saints for ESPN, just tweeted that the 49ers are looking to host Saints running back Tim Hightower on Thursday.
In 2016, Hightower served as a backup to Saints starting running back Mark Ingram and later had a brief starting role after the latter was put into the doghouse after fumbling one too many times. Hightower made most of his opportunity, racking up 102 yards against the Seattle Seahawks and following it up with 87 yards against the 49ers before simmering down as the season went on.
Before the Saints, Hightower was the starting running back for the Arizona Cardinals. A visit to the 49ers brings him back to NFC West territory for an interview with his former rivals.
While he hasn’t exactly been a priority free agent, Hightower may be a nice complimentary piece in Shanahan’s system. Given that the 49ers aren’t in a rush to sign their current free agent running backs, is the guy you think they need?