You may have noticed some NFL players this year wearing different-looking helmets. The league allowed all players the choice to wear Guardian Caps in games this season, which are easily spottable on the field.
Guardian Caps are mandatory for most players in training camp practices, as they provide an extra layer of protection against concussions. A handful of players have taken the league up on their offer, such as Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard James Daniels and Tennessee Titans tight end Josh Whyle. We saw an offensive lineman sport a Guardian Cap in prime time this week, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers right tackle Luke Goedeke wore one during a "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who is closing in on a return after suffering his third known NFL concussion earlier this season, said he won't be donning the extra protection.
During a live interview with Peyton Manning and Eli Manning on ESPN2, Ravens legend Ed Reed openly questioned if the Guardian Caps provided extra protection.
"Now how much safety is that though?" asked Reed.
Peyton explained that it's an extra layer of protection, and is new to regular-season games this year. Reed didn't seem to buy it.
"You really think that protection is going to do something past that carbon fiber that's on the helmet?" Reed asked. "Usually, when a boxer knocks somebody out, he punch the crap out of him in the jaw. He only hit him in the top of the head. He gets hit here (points to jaw). So when a person gets knocked out, their neck is gonna snap too. It's gonna send a shock and a nerve and it's gonna make them go numb. It's not gonna be just from the frontal lobe. It's gonna be because of the head movement of the lack of muscle strength in the neck. Or the weakness thereof that happens over time in the game, it's called fatigue."
To Reed's point, Guardian Caps are not going to protect against every kind of concussion. This is not some football panacea, but the league saw enough data from studies to expand the use of these cranium cushions.
According to GuardianSports.com, the NFL reported a 52% decrease in concussions suffered by players at positions wearing Guardian Caps, compared to the concussion rate of players at the same positions over the last three years of training camps. It's fair to expect more players will be sporting this kind of extra protection in the near future.