Player safety is the NFL’s biggest concern in 2024 and beyond.
Helmet-to-helmet impacts will remain vicious as players get bigger and faster, and they may discourage upcoming generations from ever playing.
In an effort to reduce traumatic brain injuries, the NFL opted to allow players to wear Guardian Caps—the padded sleeve that is stretched over the helmets we see during training camp—during the regular season.
For a few years now, linemen attending training camps have been required to wear Guardian Caps; going forward, “most players” will also need to wear them during training camp and any full-contact practice. Although the Guardian Caps are optional, if things continue as they have, I wouldn’t be shocked if they became required for everyone within the next several years.
It’s odd that the NFL chose to allow the Cincinnati Bengals and the other teams to wear different helmets at the same time as this new policy.
However, safety should always come first.
