Couple different thoughts on this, first I think that his debut against the Titans was pretty outstanding, even aside from the fumble recovery for TD.
He’s been down the last two weeks though, and that’s nothing too surprising for a rookie. His snaps have increased each week, with him playing 55 of 74 against the Ravens. I think if the coaching staff was disappointed in his play we’d be seeing less and less of him.
Part of the problem too is that he’s being asked to do a lot of different things at strong side linebacker, while also splitting time with Spikes in the nickel defense. He’s been at the point of attack a lot. So that’s a lot for any player to handle, much less a rookie.
As with all rookies you can expect some inconsistency but lets not forget there haven’t been many rookie linebackers to come in and start for Bill Belichick. I still think Hightower has an extremely high ceiling and I hope we see him bounce back this week. He should be a central part of the game plan and his physicality and tackling should put him in position to make an impact.