Though the look is still strange in training camps and practices across the NFL landscape, the new Guardian Caps adorning helmets are doing what they were designed to do: increase player safety and decrease head injuries.
According to NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller, who oversees player health and safety, the league has seen a significant decrease in concussions for players at positions wearing the Guardian Caps, which are designed to provide a soft, padded outer shell to lessen blows. The Guardian Caps are essentially soft, clip-on pads for a helmet.
According to Miller, there has been a 52 percent decrease in concussions suffered by players at positions wearing Guardian Caps, compared to the concussion rate of players at the same positions over the last three years of training camps when Guardian Caps weren’t worn, Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith reported Wednesday morning.
Founded in Georgia by Erin and Lee Hanson, the Guardian Cap brings a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of the decades-old, hard-shell football helmet and reduces impact up to 33 percent, while also keeping players cooler. The cap clips on to the helmet around the face mask to create a soft shell around the helmet itself, which allows for easy on-and-off use while also protecting the helmets from wear and tear, keeping them safe for game day.
