Hightower To Start Over Wells?

The Cardinals, who finished second to last in yards per carry last season, have spent the offseason retooling their backfield. (The Steelers finished 29th, another blow to people who insist “running wins championships.”) They drafted Chris “Beanie” Wells in the first round, signed third-down option Jason Wright, and waved goodbye to Edgerrin James and J.J. Arrington. The forgotten man in the desert is Tim Hightower, but AZCardinals.com writer Darren Urban believes that Hightower will open the season as the starter over Wells. This is surprising on a few levels. Hightower was statistically the worst running back in the NFC last season, averaging an ugly 2.8 yards-per-carry. (Or as Bengals fans call it, “The Chris Perry Zone.”) He danced too much behind the line of scrimmage and barely got off the bench in the Super Bowl. Urban cites the Cardinals’ cautious development of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as a model for Wells. He also points out that Wells missed OTAs because of Ohio State’s late graduation. But Arizona drafted Wells in the first round to help solve their team’s biggest weakness. It would be a disappointment if Hightower ends up starting for very long.