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(NEXSTAR) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs wears one. So does Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Luke Goedeke. Safeties Taylor Rapp of the Buffalo Bills and Jabrill Peppers of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams offensive linemen Kevin Dotson and Alaric Jackson, and a handful of other players have worn them as well.
They’re more common during training camp, of course, but padded helmets have gained popularity during the NFL regular season.
The extra padding that makes the helmets almost comically larger is known as a Guardian cap. Made by Guardian, the cap is meant to serve as “a soft shell barrier” between the player’s head and impact.
Previously released data from the NFL showed the cap can absorb at least 10% of the force during a hit to the helmet. If both players involved are wearing Guardian caps, that doubles to 20%.
New York Giants Football helmets covered with guardian caps lie on the field during NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)
Since 2022, the NFL has required Guardian caps, which weigh just a few ounces, to be worn by certain players during practices. During 2023’s training camp, concussions reached a seven-year low, the NFL said.
Last season was the first in which players were allowed to wear the Guardian caps during games. The move seemed to prove beneficial.
The NFL cited the “largest safety improvement in helmets worn on field since 2021” (as well as new kickoff rules) as a contributing factor to the historically low number of concussions reported during the 2024 season.
Miami Dolphins offensive lineman James Daniels, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, appeared to be the first to don a Guardian cap during a regular-season game in 2024. Daniels, during the 2022 season, continued to wear the extra padding at training camp, even after the league no longer required it.
He said last year that his head didn’t hurt after wearing the cap, and that he hoped “more and more people start wearing them.”
While the helmet padding hasn’t taken the league by storm, it does appear that more players have opted to wear the caps.
Slideshow: NFL players wearing Guardian caps
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) with fans the field before a NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Pittsburgh Steelers Jabrill Peppers pauses during warm up ahead of the NFL football game between Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park stadium in Dublin, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.(AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (67) lines up during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sep. 7, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand moves across the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis. Atlanta won 22-6. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson (77) takes his stance during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Los Angeles Rams guard Kevin Dotson (69) plays against the Tennessee Titans during an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) is tackled by Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp (9) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
In addition to Daniels, NFL players who have again opted to wear a Guardian cap this season include: Dotson, Doubs, Goedeke, Rapp, Peppers, and Atlanta Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand. In total, Guardian reports 11 NFL players have worn its padded helmet cap this year, with others including Jackson, Packers wide receiver Savion Williams, and Dolphins offensive lineman Cole Strange.
Others, however, appear to have shed the cap, at least as of Week Four of the season. That includes Philadelphia Eagles tight end Kylen Granson, Bills safety Damar Hamlin, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, New York Giants offensive guard Aaron Stinnie, and Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann.
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Granson, previously of the Colts, was among the loudest advocates for the padded helmets last season, saying in part that while the special caps “may not be as aesthetically pleasing,” the health benefits would “allow [fans’] favorite players to play longer and play safer.”
Instead, the tight end has opted for extra padding within his helmet, his wife, Daisy Foko Granson, explained on TikTok, saying it “tested the same for safety [and] it’s a little more sleek.”
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Kylen Granson (83) in action during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
The NFL has been updating its helmet guidelines annually, identifying the headgear that has passed its laboratory testing and those that have not. The latter will either be listed as “not recommended” or prohibited for use in the league.
Achane similarly swapped out his Guardian cap for a helmet with extra padding inside late last season, despite speaking highly of the former option.
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Several NFL players have opted for specially designed helmets to protect their heads.
You’ve seen them on the likes of San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa and Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) rushes during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
When they launched in 2021, the VICIS ZERO2 TRENCH was billed as the first position-specific helmet and named one of the best inventions of 2021 by Time Magazine. Intended for linemen, the helmets appear almost to have a bill or a beak on the top, slightly elevating and extending the helmet over the facemask.
Multiple models of the VICIS ZERO2 TRENCH helmets scored highly in the latest round of testing by the NFL.
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You may also notice some NFL players wearing an additional accessory intended to protect their brains during head impacts: the Q-Collar.
That includes Kolar, Tennessee Titans’ Tony Pollard, Kansas City Chiefs’ Drue Tranquill, and New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) leaves the field after losing to the Houston Texans in an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) warms up before an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill (23) during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
The Q-Collar, according to the FDA, compresses against the jugular veins in the wearer’s neck. This is meant to increase the volume of blood in the skull’s vessels in order to create “a tighter fit of the brain inside the skull.” That tighter fit can then reduce the “slosh” movement.”
While the FDA authorized the product for marketing, the agency did warn that Q-Collars shouldn’t be used by athletes with certain conditions. It also noted that the collars cannot prevent concussions or serious head injuries.
