Jonathan Taylor had good reason for odd-looking helmet in preseason opener

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor drew some attention for his odd-looking helmet in Sunday’s preseason opener, but there was a good reason for the strange look.

Taylor was wearing one of the league-approved Guardian Caps in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos. That essentially amounts to some additional padding, with Taylor wearing an additional outer layer to make the headgear look more like a standard helmet.

Taylor told Nat Newell and Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star that he wanted to test out the Guardian Cap during a game, and there was no guarantee he would continue to wear it moving forward. Four other Colts also tried out the extra padding, though Taylor was the most prominent.

The NFL announced back in April that players would be permitted to wear the Guardian Caps during games this season. They had been mandatory for certain positions during training camp dating back to 2022, and the league has said there is a clear decrease in concussions among positions that wore them during those camps.

While Taylor has no history of concussions, he has suffered his fair share of injuries . He was limited to 10 games in 2023 due to a thumb injury, and was plagued by ankle problems in 2022.

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