Ranking NFL alternate, throwback helmets for 2022, from Panthers' black to Giants' classic look

Bill Bender

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Ranking NFL alternate, throwback helmets for 2022, from Panthers' black to Giants' classic look image

A total of 14 NFL teams will have either an alternate or throwback helmet in 2022. 

The NFL is allowing teams to have a secondary helmet this season, and 10 teams unveiled a new look ahead of training camp. Four NFL teams are bringing back a throwback helmet this season. The Cowboys, of course, have one of each. 

The helmets can be paired with alternate, classic or throwback uniforms this year. 

So, of course we're going to rank those helmets. Here is a look at our 2022 alternate and throwback helmet rankings. 

MORE: Tracking NFL teams' secondary helmets for the 2022 season

 

2022 NFL alternate helmet rankings 

1. Panthers

It's the first of six black alternate helmets on this list, but it's the best one. It makes the Panthers look like actual panthers, and this is one of those instances where once you see it on the field you'll realize this is the helmet this franchise should have been wearing all along. 

2. Bengals 

Another cool-cat helmet. Pro: The white tiger motif is going to look awesome on Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. It's clean, and a white-on-white uniform in The Jungle is perfect. Con: In the wild, the Bengals look kind of like zebras. It's still the best white alternate helmet on this list. 

3. Saints

It's the inverse of the standard helmet with a few creative twists. The black-and-gold combination works, and the stripe features a bunch of tiny fleurs-de-lis. It's a good alternate look, but it's simply not better than the original. 

4. Eagles 

There is no doubt this black helmet pops with the wing on the side. The Eagles are going to look marvelous with that on top of a black jersey, which was popularized in the early 2000s. We all know the issue, though. This is going to be judged against the Eagles' Kelly-green standard, the throwback helmet that is coming back in 2023. That's a battle this helmet is going to lose. 

5. Cowboys 

The Cowboys have an alternate white helmet, which is the same as their usual helmet. Will this look better than the Thanksgiving throwbacks? It might depend on the uniform combination it comes with. Would Dallas dare go all white here? 

6. Jets 

The Jets also jumped on the black alternate helmet look, this one matte with a green facemask. The problem with it is any of New York's throwback helmets look better. Well, maybe not those ones Brett Favre wore in 2008. Anything else works.

7. Texans

The Texans are rotating in a red helmet, which is aesthetically about the same as the blue helmet. We understand the "Battle Red" push, and this might look good over a blue jersey. But why not try a white helmet on that instead? Too much like the Cowboys? 

8. Cardinals 

The Cardinals described this as a "a galactic black fire-sky shell," which is an oversell considering how many other teams are tossing in a black helmet. The three-dimensional look on the logo is hot, but this reminds us of something Louisville would wear for an ACC showdown with Clemson. 

9. Bears

Cincinnati and Cleveland kind of had the market cornered on orange helmets, but the Bears are jumping in for their Thursday Night Football matchup in Week 6 against the Commanders. Why not do the all-orange look in Week 8 against the Cowboys? It's closer to Halloween. We would rather see a Chicago throwback helmet with the white "C." 

10. Commanders 

Have the Commanders been around long enough to do an alternate look? Washington also joined the list of teams using a black helmet. The entire uniform is cool, especially with the flag patch on the shoulder pad. We're still getting used to the all-maroon look, however. There is no need to change that. 

MORE: NFL training camp 2022 dates, schedules, locations for all 32 teams

2022 NFL throwback helmet rankings 

1. Giants 

That's what it says on the helmet in all caps. It's the perfect New York-style look right down the red stripe down the middle. It's the look the Giants wore during victories in Super Bowl 21 and Super Bowl 25. It evokes images of Lawrence Taylor screaming off the edge for a sack, too.  

2. Patriots 

Pat the Patriot is back again. New England has worn these uniforms a dozen times since 1994, and they are 9-3 in those games. The helmet is cool, but the jerseys make the uniform. 

3. Falcons 

The Falcons switched from red helmets to black helmets in 1990, and it was one of the best trend-setting moves of the decade. Deion Sanders and MC Hammer made those helmets even cooler. Now, more than 30 years later, the red helmet returns and it's the fresher look. 

4. Cowboys 

Dallas is bringing back their classic uniforms for its Thanksgiving game. It's not that we don't like the helmet, but it's not better than their current look. We still like the tradition of the Cowboys wearing these helmets on Thanksgiving. Keep it that way every year from now on. 

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.