Despite drawing harsh reviews from some NFL players, Guardian Caps are likely here to stay | Opinion

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The Guardian Caps worn by hundreds of NFL players during training camps this summer have sure taken some getting used to. For one thing, the spongy padding affixed to the outside of the helmet – reducing the impact of collisions – isn’t so appealing to the eye.

OK, they’re ugly. And awkward, too.

Yet despite pushback from some players and even concerns raised by some coaches, it’s a safe bet that, in some fashion, Guardian Caps are here to stay.

With the completion of the second full week of preseason games, the league-wide mandate requiring linemen, linebackers and tight ends to wear the protective shells in practices is over. Team owners, following recommendations from the competition committee and the health and safety advisory committee, instituted the requirement last spring with the hope of reducing the number of concussions and mitigating the impact of sub-concussive hits during a period when a higher rate of concussions coincided with the larger training camp rosters.

What’s next?

As the league analyzes data, it will be interesting to see whether a significant number of players across the NFL opt to wear the 12-ounce Guardian Caps without a mandate. Also, it’s not inconceivable that some coaches – as Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay did last season, on the path to winning a Super Bowl – will require caps worn in practices for certain positions.

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Last season, the NFL reported 187 concussions from the start of training camp through the end of the regular season. That marked the second-lowest total (172 in 2020) since the league began tracking figures in 2015, with 16% of the injuries occurring during preseason practices. That data drove the parameters of the Guardian Cap requirement, another in a series of safety measures designed to address threats linked to head injuries.

In mandating the measure for this summer, the league contended that lab testing showed a 10% reduction in severity of impact on collisions when one player wears the Guardian Cap and 20% reduction if two players are outfitted with the extra padding. New data tied to injuries could be significant.

"I think everyone wants to see in this Guardian Cap data, what’s the impact of this?" Atlanta Falcons President and CEO Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, told Paste BN Sports. "What percentage reduction, if any, is there with concussions?

"I think what you’re going to see is that there is a benefit. But the numbers have to be there."

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The league’s injury analysis will include data elicited from mouthguard sensors that roughly 100 players have been wearing, which measure the force of impact. The sensors have been worn by some players wearing Guardian Caps and others who are not, which will provide comparative data.

There’s also discussion about the development of practice helmets that conceivably would be designed with extra padding. In other words, the time is ripe for more innovation from helmet manufacturers.

"We have leaned into helmets," McKay said. "There’s no question that the helmet improvement that has gone on in the last 10 years has improved player health and safety. Does that mean there’s an advent of a practice helmet? So be it. But let’s get the data to prove it first."

It’s only logical that the NFL is proactive, with consciousness raised over several years about the long-term effects of head injuries and a game-changer occurring in 2013 with the league’s $1 billion settlement of a class-action suit by former players.

When training camp began, Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera noted that the “clacking” sound typically part of the practice backdrop with helmets colliding, was gone. The inference was that the shock-absorbing effect of the mushroom-like covers could translate to lesser impact of sub-concussive blows.

"If this comes out and it really helps reduce it, then I imagine we would continue," Rivera told reporters.

Of course, it’s typical that change – even in the name of safety – comes with resistance.

While Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, said that he “felt like a Bobblehead” in wearing the Guardian Cap, the pushback went beyond aesthetics.

"I hate it," Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker told Paste BN Sports during the first week of camp. "It’s terrible. It’s the worst thing ever invented. I don’t know who did it. It has no air flow. It’s heavy. Document that. Take this crap out."

Some other stinging reviews:

• Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce: "I think the Guardian Caps are silly. We’re just out here wearing mushroom helmets that are doing nothing but adding weight to our heads. Hopefully, we can get rid of these so that we don’t have to wear them again."

• Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Shelby Harris: "They’re stupid. I get what they’re trying to do, but the main thing is, you might have guys leading with their head more because they’re not feeling it, because they have this big old helmet thing on. And then you get in a game and the next thing you know, they knock themselves out."

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh expressed concern that players would use their heads more "because of the soft blow" while wearing the caps.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur had a similar word of caution. He said he understands measures to protect the brain while mindful of long-term implications of head injuries. Yet he also has a worry connected to techniques.

"I don’t want the guys to feel the confidence that they can now use their head," LaFleur told reporters during the first week of camp. "So, that’s one of the things that’s not so great about it is you can get a false confidence and now your technique suffers, and I definitely don’t want to see us go that way."

McKay, who leads the NFL’s rule-making committee, rebuts such concern as he points out that rules exist and emphasis has increased in recent years to take the head out of the game. In other words, the Guardian Caps can’t be used as an excuse for poor techniques.

Then again, the puffy helmets might also provide a layer of protection that goes beyond concern for head injuries. Last season, McVay had a practical response after quarterback Matthew Stafford hit his thumb on the helmet of a pass-rusher during practice: He required his linemen to practice with the pillow-top helmet covering.

McKay, meanwhile, is eager to see what portion of players across the league voluntarily opt to wear the Guardian Caps. He noted that dozens of college teams, including the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, wear the extra padding for practices during the entire season.

"It’s not new," McKay said. "There are a lot of NCAA teams that do it. So, there’s a lot of players that are starting to come into our league that have worn it already."

Part of the NFL’s process moving forward will include the typical offseason meetings with the NFL Players Association that generate input from the players.

"We’ll get the data, see if it impacted concussions and we’ll hear from the players," McKay said. "We’ll say, ‘Okay, tell us: How did this impact you? How did it impact practice?' "

McKay won’t deny the grumbling coming from some players.

"I have read that, too," he said. "But let’s let it play out. Let’s see what happens with the numbers and consider what the players tell us."

If it’s a collision course, here’s to some extra padding.

Follow Paste BN Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.