If Dont’a Hightower has it his way, he’ll be on the field to open the 2015 season.
The New England Patriots linebacker currently is rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery he underwent in February following New England’s Super Bowl XLIX win. The surgery was expected to keep him out for six or seven months, but Hightower revealed Monday he’s progressing well.
“Honestly, I don’t have a target date,” Hightower told ESPN.com on Monday at the Sports International Football Academy at UMass Lowell. “I’ve seen doc, and everything is going great right now. I’m right on track, if not a little ahead of schedule. It’s something that’s going to take time. I can’t say ‘three weeks’ or whatever. It feels great. I’m doing good. Doc loved everything. He said I’m ahead of schedule, so I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”
While Hightower might not be willing to reveal a specific target date, he unsurprisingly would love to be ready to go Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
“Oh, hell yeah, I wanna play in the first game,” he told ESPN.com. “I wish we could go out and start in a couple of weeks and bang around. It’s just something that takes time. It’s going great.”
Hightower figures to be a vital piece of the Patriots’ defense this season following a breakout 2014. The linebacker out of Alabama was integral when it came to generating a pass rush, which will be even more important this season given the questions surrounding New England’s secondary.
Thumbnail photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
