Could we see position specific helmets in the not-too-distant future in the NFL? The answer might be yes.
As first reported by Pro Football Talk and Football Scoop, the NFL is willing to share their concussion research with helmet manufacturers in order to create safer helmets tailor made to different positions.
Dr. Jeff Crandall, the chairman of the league’s head neck and spine engineering subcommittee, spoke at the owner’s meetings in Phoenix earlier this week. He told reporters that creating these helmets would be a logical next step and would be done in hopes of reducing the chances of concussions.
“We know that players in different positions receive different types of severity and frequency of impacts,” Crandall told reporters, “So we think a position-specific helmet makes sense.”
According to NFL executive vice president of health and safety policy Jeff Miller, concussion rates were down about 10 percent during the 2016 preseason and regular season.
It’s an interesting idea since linemen typically feel the most impact on hits from the front of the helmet as opposed to a quarterback or wide receiver who are impacted more by hits to the side of the helmet. There is still more to look into, but the future might be coming soon for position-specific helmets in the NFL in order to make the game safer.
