After not having anybody consistently fill the third-down RB role last year that J.J. Arrington(notes) did such a good job of filling in 2008, is there a front-runner for the job in 2010? We hear the best bet is probably Tim Hightower(notes). Even though he's listed first on the depth chart as the starting running back ahead of Chris "Beanie" Wells, Hightower served more in the third-down capacity last year than anybody else and did a very respectable job. "He certainly has great skills for the role," one daily team observer said. "He's an excellent receiver, he's very smart and he picks up blitzes extremely well." But we hear the team could go in a different direction altogether and give the job to second-year pro LaRod Stephens-Howling(notes), whose change-of-direction skills are considered exceptional. "They continue to be really intrigued by him," the observer said of Stephens-Howling. "The only problem is that he's small (5-foot-7) and could have trouble picking up blitzes." Source: ProfootballWeekly.com
