Among the several changes made during the NFL offseason, players are now allowed to wear Guardian Caps over their helmets in regular season games.
Initially mandated for training camps in 2022, the protective headgear was prohibited from being worn in any setting other than preseason practices. Now, a handful of players have already donned the soft shells in regular season contests since the regulations were eased.
Some of them even tried out Guardian Caps in preseason games with positive results. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor praised the headwear after taking some live snaps with it in August, though he hasn't worn one in the team's first couple of regular season contests.
“The first game I had, it did not feel different,” Taylor added. “It felt like practice. Of course, it was only limited snaps … but so far, it didn’t feel different.”
Now with football back for real, it remains to be seen how Guardian Caps fare during an 18-week campaign. Here's everything to know about who wears the shell in the NFL, including the six players who have worn the new, protective helmet in 2024.
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Who wears a Guardian Cap in NFL?
Six players have worn Guardian Caps so far in a regular season contest.
While two tight ends and two safeties have donned the headgear, it doesn't appear as though there is a real positional bias when it comes to the shell otherwise.
Here are the players who have taken snaps in the last two weeks wearing it:
| Player | Team | Position |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | Browns | LB |
| Josh Whyle | Titans | TE |
| James Daniels | Steelers | G |
| Jabrill Peppers | Patriots | S |
| Kylen Granson | Colts | TE |
| Rodney Thomas II | Colts | S |
Some of these players addressed wearing the gear after testing it out during the preseason. Indiana's Kylen Granson spoke about the Guardian Caps after a training in August.
“At one point people thought seatbelts were f—ing stupid,” Granson told The Athletic on Thursday. “Why wouldn’t I (wear it)? Just because it looks silly? I feel like health and safety is more important than aesthetics.”
James Daniels also came out in support of the protective headwear after wearing it during the Steelers' preseason contests and is one of the players who has worn it in the last two weeks.
“Hopefully more and more people start wearing them,” Daniels told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I truly believe they help, so I’m glad the NFL is allowing us to wear them. Hopefully every week people start wearing them more and more. I’m excited for it.”
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What is a Guardian Cap?
A Guardian Cap is a soft, protective shell meant to be worn on the outside of an NFL helmet. Its purpose is to minimize contact and lessen the impact from violent collisions, reducing concussions in the process.
When it comes to the science behind the headgear, the company website emphasizes that "an outer 'soft' material of the proper density, stiffness, and energy absorbing properties" is sufficient to decrease the severity of head-on hits.
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Do Guardian Caps work?
Since debuting in 2020 during Jaguars training camp and subsequently becoming a fixture of preseason practices for most positions, data supports Guardian Caps do indeed work as advertised.
In an appearance on "Good Morning Football" last August, NFL executive VP Jeff Miller told NFL Network that the caps had reduced concussions by over 50 percent during the preseason. Additionally, it's been estimated that impact is reduced by around 20 percent in a collision between two players wearing the headgear and 10 percent when only one player is wearing it.
"We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps," Miller said in a statement in April.
"Additionally, there are new helmets this year that provide as much — if not more — protection than a different helmet model paired with a Guardian Cap. These developments represent substantial progress in our efforts to make the game safer for players."
