[Editor’s note: We published this in 2022, but with the new NFL rules stating players could wear them in games and not just practice, it’s a good time to trot it out again.]
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen some NFL training camp footage or photos and noticed a strange-looking covering over players’ helmets? Wondering what that’s about? We’re here to help.
NFL training camps are in full swing, and yes, there are players everywhere we’ve seen wearing a waffle-patterned covering over their helmets. It’s called a Guardian Cap, and it’s something that actually started getting used during minicamps earlier this year.
Here’s the twist: It’s required by certain players, and there’s an important reason behind it. Let’s dive in:
What’s this you’re talking about?
What are those?
It’s a product that goes over players’ helmets and it’s meant to reduce the amount of impact from contact involving the head. Per Guardian Sports’ site:
The Guardian Cap is the leading soft shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. It brings a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of the decades old hard-shell football helmet and reduces impact up to 33%.
And you said it was mandated?
Correct. From ESPN in March:
The NFL has mandated the use of Guardian Cap helmet covers for certain positions during a key portion of training camp when concussions and head contact typically elevate, league officials said Tuesday.
The resolution, approved during a morning session at the annual NFL meetings, will require offensive and defensive linemen, tight ends and linebackers to wear Guardian Caps for every preseason practice between the start of the training camp contact period and the second preseason game.
Why is it required by all those players?
There’s an answer to that, via NFL.com: “The NFL says that the caps can reduce the force from head contact by 10% if one player is wearing it, and 20% if all players involved are wearing them.”
Players league-wide are wearing Guardian Caps during 2022 preseason practices – the latest example of the NFL’s continued work to foster innovation that leads to better protective equipment and makes the game safer for players. pic.twitter.com/gB4aAF7YHG
— NFL (@NFL) July 27, 2022
What’s been said about it?
Here’s Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin:
Mike Tomlin on decision for Steelers to wear protective guardian caps on their helmets during the spring, even before the league mandates it for camp (via The Standard).
“I’m morally obligated to keep this damn group safe. And I promise you, you’ll get that commitment from me.” pic.twitter.com/amCszhMwtW
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) July 25, 2022
Is there anything about how they’ve worked so far?
Well, it’s only been a few days of training camp. There is this, though, from 2021 via ESPN:
ESPN.com obtained a copy of a memo the NFL sent to team physicians, head athletic trainers and equipment managers in August 2020 when it decided to move forward with on-the-field experimentation of the cap.
The memo explained that two add-on caps — the Guardian Cap and Defend Your Head ProTech Helmet Cap — were chosen in a collaborative effort between the NFL and NFLPA to be tested by Biomechanics Consulting and Research under Dr. Ann Bailey Good, a senior mechanical engineer for Biocore. …
Statistical analysis of the weighted results showed the helmet with the Guardian Cap on average showed a 9% reduction in force impact compared to a bare helmet. The average reduction was 5% for the ProTech. Additional testing performed this year revealed an average reduction of 10% for the Guardian Cap.
Hopefully, this is the impact it’s having this year in training camps.
