Former Wolverine 1 of 5 to wear Guardian Cap in Week 1

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Guardian Caps are the next step in football safety, and a small group of players made history this weekend, including a former Wolverine. For the first time ever, Guardian Caps were worn by players during an NFL regular season game.

According to the Washington Post , five players used them: Pittsburgh offensive lineman James Daniels, Tennessee tight end Josh Whyle, Indianapolis tight end Kylen Granson, Indianapolis safety Rodney Thomas and New England safety Jabrill Peppers .

Guardian Caps offer an extra layer of padding on top of the helmet to help absorb contact. They have been used regularly in practices since 2022 and have even been worn in the preseason. Now, they can be worn during all games after the NFL signed off on new helmet rules in the offseason.

After the Patriots’ 16-10 upset win over Cincinnati, Peppers spoke with The Athletic about his decision to wear one.

“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,” the former Wolverine said.

“It’s really for those plays where you might not see a guy coming from the side and get incidental contact on your head. But I don’t really feel anything with it, so I like that a lot.”

He did clarify later that he may not wear them in hot conditions because the sleeve on top of the cap blocks some air flow into the helmet.

“If it was 80, I wouldn’t have worn it,” he told The Athletic.

Part of the NFL’s new rules state that, unlike in practices, the team’s logo and colors must still be shown on the helmet, so sleeves are added just for the games.

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