Multiple NFL players plan to wear Guardian Cap during games this season

The first NFL Sunday of the 2024 season will feature at least a few Guardian Caps.

Tennessee Titans tight end Josh Whyle said Friday that he plans to wear a Guardian Cap during games in the 2024 campaign, starting with his team’s opener against the Bears in Chicago on Sunday. He’ll be among the first NFL players to wear a Guardian Cap in a regular-season game.

Whyle suffered a concussion during a joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks in August. It was his second concussion in less than a year.

“Just for my own safety,” Whyle said of his decision to wear the cap, via TennesseeTitans.com. “Can’t afford to get another (concussion), and I want to be out there playing on Sundays.”

The Indianapolis Colts, meanwhile, will have a couple of players sporting a Guardian Cap for their Week 1 showdown with the Houston Texans. Tight end Kylen Granson and safety Rodney Thomas II will continue wearing the extra head protection after doing so for preseason contests.

“My mom, my parents, they’ve always taught me, from an early age, protect yourself, protect your head,” Granson said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “That’s what’s really important. Your health.”

Thomas II said of his decision: “If I’m practicing like that every day, day to day, I’ll play the same way I practice. It doesn’t hurt me at all to wear it. You can only gain from it.”

Granson and Thomas II were among six players — and five Colts players — who wore a Guardian Cap during preseason games, according to ESPN’s Turron Davenport.

What is a Guardian Cap in football?

A Guardian Cap is a soft shell covering the top of a helmet designed to absorb contact and lessen the impact of hits to the head. According to NFL data, the cap will absorb at least 10% of the force during a hit to the helmet. That doubles to 20% if both players involved in the hit are using the caps.

This is the first season in which players are permitted to wear a Guardian Cap during games.

“We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps during practice,” said Jeff Miller, NFL EVP overseeing player health and safety, back in April.

What are the NFL’s Guardian Cap rules?

The NFL first mandated the use of Guardian Caps during the early portion of training camp in 2022, when all linemen, tight ends and linebackers were required to wear them at practices.

Last year, the mandate was expanded to all preseason practices along with contact practices in the regular season and postseason. Running backs and fullbacks were also added to the position groups required to wear them.

For 2024, receivers and defensive backs became required to use them, and all players were given the option of wearing the caps in games.

Players can be exempt from wearing a Guardian Cap if they sport one of six new helmet models the NFL introduced ahead of this season.

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season features an AFC Championship Game rematch to kick things off, a visit to Brazil and the start of a potentially historic season for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.