One of the biggest changes to NFL rules in 2024 was the approval of the use of the Guardian Cap helmet covers for players in games. The cap is made up of several forms of padding meant to reduce the force of impacts against the helmet and, thus, the player’s head.
Studies so far are inconclusive or negative in determining whether the caps help reduce concussions. The covers have been shown to effectively reduce the rate of force of hits, which is still a net positive. We saw several NFL players adopting the unconventional look last season.
Unfortunately, the biggest drawback to greater implementation at the NFL level has been the aesthetics. Despite the best efforts to reproduce the look of a team’s normal helmet, the Guardian Caps are, well, not great.
That was a problem, and it resulted in players refusing to wear the caps based solely on how they look.
Studies are continuing to address whether the caps have reduced concussions at the NFL level.
A new study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that adding helmet covers did not reduce player concussions in high school football practices.
Dr. Erin Hammer, the study’s lead author and Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, notes “Unfortunately, we found that using these devices may provide false reassurance to players and their parents who are hoping to reduce their kids’ risk of concussion.”
Per the University of Wisconsin, “the study focused followed players from 41 Wisconsin high school teams during the 2023 football season. Some of the players wore the Football Guardian Cap XT during practice and some never wore them. The caps were not worn during games.
“Upon comparing concussion rates between the 1,188 players who did not wear Guardian Caps during practice and the 1,451 players who did, researchers found no statistical difference between the groups. Of the 64 concussions sustained during practice, 33 happened to players wearing Guardian Caps, and 31 to those in the group without caps.”
Two notes of caution here: the studies were performed in 2023, and they focused on the Guardian Cap XT — which is a different model than that worn by NFL players during the 2024 season. The Guardian Cap continues to be refined with the idea of providing better head protection. We still await the results from any studies performed on the caps worn by NFL players. (Let’s call those version 1.0.)
But the biggest hurdle to more players adopting the Guardian Cap for use in games has been how they look. As you saw above, the Guardian Caps don’t look great. For some teams, especially those with metallic helmets, the difference in the look between the helmet cover and the helmet is pretty stark.
That may be changing for next season. Guardian has introduced a new model, the NXT 2.0, which should address the aesthetics issue, at least partly. (Let’s call these version 2.0.)
The 2.0 versions should be much more aesthetically pleasing, which will hopefully lead to additional players adopting them. You can see how the new covers will look for Georgia Tech and Georgia:
With the new design, the covers should be able to better accommodate NFL helmet logos and not look like a shower cap. How these will translate to NFL helmet design remains to be seen, but in theory they will allow for team logos and decals to be printed on the helmet covers themselves. This should make for a more accurate helmet representation — and with it, hopefully encourage more players to sport the caps in-game.
And just because one study shows no significant concussion reduction, that wasn’t performed on the caps the NFL players wore, so hopefully any NFL studies will have different results. And the NFL helmet cover have been shown to effectively reduce the rate of force of hits, which is a positive.
Will the 2.0 versions, which definitely look better than their immediate predecessor, convince players opposed to wearing the 1.0 versions of them “because it messes up their swag” to more readily accept them? That remains to be seen. Hopefully we’ll see some 2.0 versions of NFL helmet covers in team styles soon.
Interesting!
(I think you want “inconclusive” in paragraph two, not “inclusive”.)
Yes I did. Thanks, now fixed :)
They will get the aesthetics of this fixed. I barely noticed the guys that wore them last season. If it it turns out they are safer it’s just a matter of time before they catch on with everyone. I shudder to think the futures of people we really like like Joe Burrow or Tua dealing with CTE. I side with safety for these guys no matter how alpha. And the fans against it are on the wrong side of the future. If the tech works anyway..
I wonder how long until things like this just are built into the helmet
They already have impact foam built into the helmet. We had leather helmets, then someone said it would be safer to put a hard shell over it, now they say put soft padding on top of that for more protection, and at some point someone will suggest putting a hard shell on top of that. With each layer of protection, players feel more invincible.
Let’s go back to a leather helmet (or at least a modern equivalent, like rugby headgear) and teach players how to wrap up someone with a tackle instead of launching themselves at people.
I’ve always thought this was the way to go. But, then how many players will suffer serious injuries during the changeover, forgetting they don’t have that plastic protection anymore? Hell yes on teaching better tackling techniques!
I like to think that taking poor tackling out of the game would help, but I wonder if these studies are evaluating who and how they’re getting concussed. I would love to see an example of a game where no one wore pads and proper tackling was added to see just how it worked and if it helped.
I am not an expert on this, but wonder if the straps could be disguised more by the manufacturer.
Either disguised, or at least team colors so it’s at least congruent with the rest of the uniform.
I agree
The new version of the cap has an old timey leather helmet look to it. Definitely a visual improvement.
The new version is a visual upgrade. A bit challenging however from an aesthetic standpoint for teams that have a helmet centre stripe.
The cap in the hero photo seems to have the early 90s SF logo, not the current one.
They wear that logo with the throwbacks.
Stanford released a study a few years ago and found that these caps do nothing to prevent concussions. This is just the NFL trying to pretend they care about player safety.
link
Well, if you got a better solution, Shark Tank is ready to make you rich.
The researchers were hesitant to support the cap, which costs about $50, but they noted that it’s possible the cap provides some protection.
The difference between the lab results and those on the field may stem from the fact that many of the real-life impacts were blows to the players’ face guards, where there’s no protection from the cap, Cecchi and Camarillo said.
The study also did not control for different types of helmets the athletes wore on the field, which could affect the results, as helmets vary in how well they protect players, Camarillo said.
Finally, the study was small, limited to 10 players. A larger study incorporating data from more players in different positions could show it makes a difference, they said.
These do look better but I wonder if the need for padding over the shell (and, hence, a Marvin the Martian situation) would be ameliorated by just not having a shell? As it is, players wearing a guardian cap have five layers over their brain: padding (meniscus, CSF), shell (skull), padding, shell, padding. Outside the head, why not just plenty of padding? I get that the helmet shell provides an attachment point for facial protection but otherwise it just seems to be a bulky, weaponized way of holding the padding together. Rugby skull caps show that neither facial protection nor a shell to hold the padding together are required. As a middle ground, why not a shell that is slightly more flexible? The idea is to *absorb* impact and a rigid shell seems like a car without a crumple zone.
Your last sentence describes exactly the problem….cushioning bounces the helmet, but the material should “crush” on a concussion-type impact. That seems to mean that the shell may have to be replaced during a game, if a player passes protocol. Maybe a “crush” type panel under the turf could help on hard impacts involving players hitting their head on the ground.
I’m hopeful more do not adopt them if it’s just creating a false reassurance to players
I agree with Terry. I dont really care how it looks, it’s that they don’t work and the NFL still wants players wearing them. There was a kid on my football team this year who got no kidding knocked out. He wore a guardian cap for the rest of the season(in-game) and still got concussed on the last game.
Small (like your critical thinking skills) sample.
Congrats, big man, being a compete a**hole to who is clearly a middle or high schooler. Of course the guy who gets tinglies for online signaling in favor of something that demonstrably doesn’t help is chastising others over critical thinking
I question whether they can ever prevent concussions. None of these fancy helmets and guardian caps stop your brain from sloshing around inside your skull. You want to stop most concussions? Require players to be smaller and slower. I know that’s not realistic but that’s a huge reason for concussions caused from collisions.
Ugly AF. With what they’ve already done with the once glorious sport of football, emasculating the sport totally, the future will be flags on players, they’re already conditioning the masses for this. Besides, these do nothing to prevent concussions. RIP NFL.
Let’s be honest — 1.0 was Mark Kelso’s foam padding – which (while odd looking) did help with the logo aesthetics.
link
Related — heard this season all DB’s and safeties on a team toyed with wearing them when one needed/chose to …as the guardian cap gives a quick visual to the QB on where certain players are.
And you gotta love THIS link
Weight and 40 time limit. Boom, problem solved. 150 lbs and 5.5 40s and concussions will go down.
But seriously, 240 lb 4.3 40 linebackers may be too much for materials to overcome.
I don’t mind the look. Let players continue to choose to wear them if they want to, although I think the caps give them a “superman feeling” false sense of security. As in, “Now i can tackle even more with my head”. (I know, can’t tackle with the head). IMO, gotta revert back to leather and learn to tackle correctly, NOT hit head to head as they do now.
These aren’t brains society needs to worry about
The players are simply too fast, too strong and too muscular these days to avoid concussions. Sad but true, I think. The 2.0 version of the helmet cap looks better, it reminds me of Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four. But anyway, I do not see a solution to avoiding concussions in football except for abolishing the game and turn to flag football.
I never took notice or was bothered by the guardian caps from an aesthetic stand point, I just hoped that they helped.
The outside pads should not simply “bounce” on impact…
They should have “crush” properties, like a bicycle helmet and modern automobile design.
It’s not the collision on the helmet that causes a concussion, it’s the brain colliding with the skull after the helmet contact. If the outside shell collapses during impact, it will absorb much of the energy of the collision, slowing down the speed of impact of the brain into the skull.
Maybe this can help but I am unsure of the materials they use for the outside shell, currently.
I’m not sure I will ever understand putting aesthetics over safety. Who is pushing that perception? Is it really fans, or just the media beating a dead click-bait horse?
I find helmets stupid. After all, rugby players do not wear them, so what gives?…
1-They do not prevent concussions.
2-They’re ugly AF.
3-Nuf said.
They look like dickheads to me.
Marvin the Martian to soccer ball-head! Progress!