September 17, 2024
The NFL has a new partner in its fight to limit head injuries: the Guardian Cap.
Guardian Caps have become a common sight in training camp, but for the first time, players have the option to wear them in regular season games. Patriots DB Jabrill Peppers is one of the few who have agreed to do so.
Peppers is coming off the best season of his career, breaking out in the Patriots’ secondary despite New England’s otherwise ugly season. He extended his own career by proving he belongs as an NFL starter, and the Guardian Cap could allow him to stay on the field even longer.
Here’s a look at why Peppers wears a Guardian Cap and how well the caps work.
Why does Jabrill Peppers wear a Guardian Cap?
Peppers told reporters he wears the Guardian Cap to prevent plays with “incidental contact” to the head from being so high-risk.
“I’m a hitter, so the more protection I can get, why not? As long as it’s not impeding me or slowing me down, I don’t see why not,” he said after Week 1.
Peppers admitted that temperature would be a factor, though. If it was warmer during the Patriots’ season opener in Cincinnati, he likely wouldn’t have worn it. With about half of his games coming in Massachusetts and the weather gradually getting colder, it seems the Guardian Cap will be here to stay for the Patriots defensive back.
What is a Guardian Cap?
Guardian Caps are softer coverings that can be placed on football helmets to help absorb contact and limit the risk of concussions.
The caps don’t eliminate the risk of concussions. The impact is reduced by 10 percent if one player is wearing a Guardian Cap and 20 percent if both players involved in a collision are wearing one. Still, that can make a meaningful difference in certain situations.
“We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said in a statement in April. “Additionally, there are new helmets this year that provide as much — if not more — protection than a different helmet model paired with a Guardian Cap. These developments represent substantial progress in our efforts to make the game safer for players.”
The caps were created in 2010 with the idea that a softer shell on top of the traditional hard helmet shell would create more protection for players’ heads. Though they have existed for more than a decade, Guardian Caps were mandated for certain NFL position groups in practices in 2022. Starting in 2024, special Guardian Caps mimicking a given team’s helmet design can be worn in-game by any player who wants to wear one.
So far, Peppers is one of six players to wear the Guardian Cap in-game. He and Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are the two most notable players donning Guardian Caps during games.
What number is Jabrill Peppers?
Peppers wears No. 5 for the Patriots. It’s the fourth different number of his NFL career, as he started out wearing No. 22 for the Browns before switching to No. 21 with the Giants.
Peppers wore No. 3 in his first season in New England before switching to No. 5 ahead of a breakthrough 2023 season.