In name of safety, Steelers debut astronaut-like helmet protective coverings at minicamp

When the Pittsburgh Steelers practiced Tuesday on the first day of minicamp, players sported helmets that looked more suited for NASA than the NFL.

It was the first time since the NFL passed a resolution at the spring annual meeting that players were required to wear a soft shell protective covering on top of their helmets that resembled astronaut headgear or something a stormtrooper might wear in “Star Wars.”

The device, which resembles a giant foam golf ball perched on top of the helmet, is called a Guardian Cap, and it has been in development since 2017.

Get used to seeing them.

The resolution requires all linemen, tight ends and linebackers to wear the Guardian Cap beginning at training camp and continuing until the second preseason game. All Steelers players, though, wore the black Guardian Cap covering Tuesday, and even coach Mike Tomlin donned a white covering cap for part of the afternoon.

“We’re going to adhere to the rules,” Tomlin said. “It’s a new rule. It’s for their safety. We don’t run away from those things. We run to those things. We’re going to make it a non-issue for us. It’s about the work that we do.”

The NFL has determined that the Guardian Cap represents a 10% reduction in the severity of impact force if one player is wearing the product, 20% if both colliding players are sporting it. With linemen, linebackers and tight ends doing much of the hitting in workouts, they posed the most risk for head injury, a study determined.

Five years ago, the NFL awarded $20,000 to Guardian Cap to develop the protective shell. In 2021, it was submitted for testing.

The NFL reported 187 concussions from the start of training camp until the end of the season in 2021. That represented a reduction from an average of 266 cases in the 2015-17 seasons.