The Broncos' second helmet design as revealed in 2023Roy Chenoy/USA TODAY NETWORK
The NFL has “revised its uniform policy to allow teams to add a third helmet design,” according to Jones & Andrejev of THE ATHLETIC. The additional helmet design “was offered to teams going through a re-design process for the 2024 season,” but “will be open to all teams for the 2025 season.” The league updated its uniform policy in 2022 to allow for a second helmet shell color. The second and third helmets “can only be worn with one of the team’s authorized optional uniforms (classic, alternate, and/or color rush).” The league also said that “each alternate color helmet must be tied to a specific optional uniform and cannot be mixed and matched with primary uniforms, nor can it be mixed and matched with another optional uniform” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/11).
PROTECT THE HEAD: ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert wrote the NFL and NFLPA released their annual helmet safety rankings on Tuesday, with the number of "position-specific helmets" more than doubling from the 2023 report. The list includes "multiple new manufacturers" and is a "result of a push from the league to spur more activity in the space" (ESPN.com, 4/9). In D.C., Mark Maske reported following this year's tests, about 10% of players leaguewide will be "required to change their preferred helmet models" as they were "moved to the 'prohibited' or 'not recommended' categories" assigned by biomechanical engineering firm Biocore, which conducts the tests for the NFL and NFLPA (WASHINGTON POST, 4/9).
