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NFL Looking to Diminish TBI With Guardian Caps in 2022 Pre-Season With Hopes of No TBI Recovery Necessary.

As teams start to ramp up their offseason workouts ahead of training camp, many players will be seen sporting an extra piece of head protection for the first time.

With the start of minicamps this week came the first appearances of the new Guardian Cap, an extra soft-shell pad worn over players’ helmets that was designed to decrease the amount of force received from head contact and hopefully lower the number of concussion injuries usually seen during the lead-up to the season.

The NFL says that the caps can reduce the force from head contact by 10% if one player is wearing it, and 20% if all players involved are wearing them. This is a significant move in the NFL’s efforts to decrease avoidable head contact, which can lead to concussions and other head injuries. While training camps don’t start until late July, some teams have already started wearing the caps during OTAs and minicamps.

The caps are specifically being required between training camp and the second preseason game because a higher frequency of concussions happen during this time. This can be partially attributed to the higher number of players on the field as teams try out players ahead of final cuts, and partially to the start of full-contact practices during training camps. (nfl.com/news)