Guardian Caps may one day be worn by players in NFL games, league executive says

This is the second year of seeing players were Guardian Caps at training camp, and it doesn’t seem so out of place these days.

A year ago, Chiefs’ linemen, tight ends and linebackers wore the foam coverings over their helmets as a protective measure against head trauma. The NFL expanded the use of Guardian Caps to include running backs and fullbacks.

An NFL.com story noted the Guardians Caps will be “mandated at every preseason practice, as well as every regular-season and postseason practice with contact” in 2023.

During a visit to “Good Morning Football” last week, NFL Executive Vice President for Health & Safety Innovation Jeff Miller said there was a significant reduction in head injuries last season compared to a three-year average.

“We saw a 52% decrease in concussions for that position group (last year) ,” Miller said. “More importantly, to me at least is about a 20% decrease in every hit to the head that players experience when they’re wearing the cap. So the concussion is a good number, but it’s more about every single play.”

With Guardian Caps being used more this year, could they one day be seen in an NFL game?

Miller said yes, but added the league has seen improvement in helmet safety, too.

“I think the day could come given the fact it’s a relatively new cap this year,” Miller said of the Guardian Caps. “We want to get another set of experiences with the players. Look at the data for this year, kind of see where we’re at with that. But at the same time, a lot of the helmets are also making advances, too.

“And so some of the protective benefits you get from the Guardian Cap hopefully will be seen in helmets in the next year or two.”

Miller said the league has worked on helmets that could be specific to a player’s position. The NFL hopes to analyze the frequency and magnitude of impacts players may have while playing at different positions.

This season, some NFL quarterbacks are using different helmets.

“For example, a quarterback when he suffers a concussion, it’s usually the back of his head hitting the ground because he’s not bracing himself and he’s getting sacked, yet he’s wearing the same helmet as somebody else,” Miller said. “So this year for the first time a company called Vicis built a quarterback-specific helmet, which added padding in the back inside. You don’t see it but it decreases those sorts of forces when heads hit the ground by about 40%.

“So there’s 10 or 12 quarterbacks in the league giving it a try this year. I don’t know if there’s a mandate. They don’t have to wear anything but they’re gonna give it a try and see whether they like it.”

Here is the conversation with Miller about Guardian Caps and player safety.