Concussions among players who wore Guardian Caps over summer dropped more than 50%, NFL says

The number of concussions among National Football League players mandated to wear Guardian Cap equipment dropped by more than half this summer compared to the previous three-year average.

For the first time, the league required offensive linemen, defensive linemen, tight ends and linebackers to wear Guardian Caps during practice between the start of training camp and the second preseason game in order to reduce the risk of concussions. The position groups had 11 concussions. The face mask is not protected by a Guardian Cap.

Players at those positions had an average of 23 concussions over the previous three years.

Jeff Miller is the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy.

The performance of the cap exceeded our expectations.

The mandate expired and approximately 200 players continued to wear Guardian Caps.

The feedback from players, equipment managers and coaches will be addressed by the league and the players association during the off-season. Miller was optimistic that the fit and size issues could be solved with the manufacturer.

There is no final decision on the use of Guardian Caps in the foreseeable future.

Miller said that they want to work through those comments before committing to next season. We're optimistic that a device like this will improve the health and safety of our athletes, and we're happy with how it went. We need a little bit of time and a lot of conversations before we get to that point.