The NFL returned last week after their annual five-month hiatus, with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans facing off in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. This week, the rest of the league’s teams embarked on their preseason openers, with most organizations opting to hold out their star talent. However, the Indianapolis Colts dressed their starters, including elite running back Jonathan Taylor.
On Sunday, Taylor took two carries for four yards while receiving zero targets. More notably, Taylor was one of a handful of players to wear the protective guardian cap during their preseason opener. This offseason, the NFL voted towards in-game use of the guardian cap for the first time in league history.
Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor: Wears Guardian Cap
According to the Guardian’s official website, “the Guardian cap is the leading soft shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. It brings a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of the decades-old hard-shell helmet and reduces impact up to 33%.” On Sunday, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor donned the guardian cap during his team’s preseason opener.
#Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is one of a couple of players wearing a protective Guardian Cap over his helmet during an actual game today. Teams have added skull caps over them, making them look more like game helmets.
Here is Taylor, #28, wearing it:pic.twitter.com/Z7F3E4UCEo
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 11, 2024
Alongside Taylor, teammate Kyle Granson wore the guardian cap in Sunday’s tilt against the Denver Broncos. Granson caught one of two targets for six yards. Per Yahoo Sports, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard James Daniels became the first player to wear the guardian cap this season, using it in his team’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans. “My head doesn’t hurt, so that’s good,” Daniels proclaimed after Pittsburgh’s 20-12 loss. “Hopefully, more and more people start wearing them.”
NFL: Allowing Use of Guardian Cap
The NFL will allow guardian caps in games starting this season to support player safety. The league has long allowed teams to wear guardian caps in practice but will allow the use of the soft shell cap in games starting in 2024. Per Guardian, the smooth and flexible headgear has an outer softer material that houses” the proper density, stiffness, and energy absorbing properties reduces the initial severity of the impact.”
The league mandated using the guardian cap in 2022 across all training camps. Last season, the league pushed for mandatory guardian caps during preseason, regular season, and postseason practices.
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