BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp made his re-appearance during the Bills vs. Jets primetime game, after he was ruled out two weeks prior following a concussion ahead of the the week 5 matchup against the Houston Texans.
In his return to the game, many noticed that Rapp had on a guardian cap.
The purpose of the cap is to create a soft padded layer on the outside of a football helmet allowing "forces to be redirected around the head" according to the creators at guardiansports.com
Players were mandated by the NFL to wear the caps during preseason, regular-season, and postseason practice with contact as of 2023.
The NFL first announced that players would have the option to wear the caps during regular-season games back in April of 2024.
In their announcement in April the NFL had said, "We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps during practice so players will be permitted to wear the cap during games this upcoming season," Jeff Miller, NFL EVP overseeing player health and safety, said in a statement on Friday. "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."
Rapp is now the first Buffalo Bills player to wear a guardian cap during a regular season game.
On the creator of the guardian caps website they share multiple other NFL players before Rapp that have sported the caps during games. One being James Daniels of the Pittsburg Steelers, who was the first player in the NFL to ever wear one during gameplay.
Other players wearing them during games include those on the Colts, Titans, Patriots, Browns, and more.
To learn more visit guardiansports.com/2024/09/26/in-games
