Those giant mushroom-looking helmet covers that some NFL players are required to wear during practice could one day become required for all NFL players in games.
That comes from NFL Executive Vice President of Player Health and Safety Jeff Miller, who told the cast at Good Morning Football that the Guardian Caps could one day be worn on Sundays.
“I think the day could come,” Miller said. “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.”
Tight ends Jesper Horsted #80 and Nick Bowers #82 of the Las Vegas Raiders wear Guardian Caps as they practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on August 01, 2022, in Henderson, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Guardian Caps, currently required in practice for linemen and linebackers, have been around long enough for the NFL to compile data about their effectiveness. The most recent data shows that the caps resulted in 52 fewer concussions. That doesn’t mean the caps are without issue, however. Miller said some teams have reported issues with the way the caps fit.
But the future of player safety when it comes to headgear may no longer be a one-size-fits-all proposition. Instead, Miller foresees a scenario in which each different position group has its own unique helmet.
A view of Cleveland Browns helmets with Guardian Caps during Cleveland Browns training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on July 30, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
“A corner sees the world very differently from the quarterback,” Miller said. “He experiences different sorts of impacts, different magnitudes. And we’ve been able to track that, analyze those, create laboratory tests. … And as a result, you can ‘tune’ helmets to those sorts of impacts. … We also see a lot of position-specific helmets for linemen because they get hit a lot towards the front.”
And the helmet may not be the only thing that changes.
“I presume in the next few years the facemask will change,” Miller continued. “Does it have to have bars? Could it be a more motorcycle-type look? All those things are possible.”