Pro Football Hall of Fame Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had an adage he used a good deal with his staff when he was in office: “If it’s not broken, fix it anyway.”
That motto continues in the league to this day in terms of improving playing rules, flex scheduling, media distribution and, most importantly, safety equipment.
There was another advance on that player safety front last weekend during the first round of preseason play for most teams.
The Steelers’ guard James Daniels is believed to have been the first NFL player to wear a protective Guardian Cap in his Friday night game against the Texans. Two days later, at least five Colts, including Pro Bowl RB Jonathan Taylor and second-year RB Zavier Scott, also wore the Caps in their game against the Broncos.
Guardian Caps are a soft helmet shell padding which is used to cover the regular football helmet. The Caps were initially allowed to be used in NFL team practices in 2020. Now they are used by many teams during contact practices.
There also are new, approved position-specific helmets that allow players the option to use the Caps but it is not mandatory.
According to NFL research, the Cap can absorb at least 10% of the force of a hit.
While the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor did not commit to using the Guardian Cap in future games, his teammate Zavier Scott said: “Our medical and equipment staff do a great job keeping us informed. They’ve done the testing and say the Cap offers a significant reduction in concussions.” James Daniels of the Steelers said postgame: “My head doesn’t hurt so that’s good…hopefully, more and more people will start wearing the Caps.”
It remains to be seen how many players will use Guardian Caps in games this season. Additional safer helmet models are expected to be introduced in 2025.
Many anxious parents of youth and high school players also have long followed the safety equipment news that the NFL generates so they can feel more comfortable with their young sons playing our great sport.
We at NFL Alumni will continue to keep track of league, team, and media player safety reports to update you during the season.
