Running Back Tim Hightower was signed to a reserve/futures contract in 2015, and was primarily to serve as RB Mark Ingram’s backup.
Mark Ingram signed a four-year, $16 million contract in 2015. Ingram is obviously the long-term plan at Running Back for the Saints, so Hightower was never going to play over Ingram absent an injury. Or at least that was the thought. After Ingram had multiple fumbles in back-to-back games, Hightower was the starter in Week 8, where he put up 102 yards against the stingy Seahawks defense.
The following week in San Francisco, both he and Ingram were featured against a terrible 49ers run defense, where Hightower put up 87 yards and a touchdown.