The NFL saw its fewest number of concussions in the preseason since tracking started in 2015.
There were 44 concussions in practices and games, a decrease of about 24% from last year.
鈥淭he reason for that change has certainly to do with changes to rules, changes to equipment, including the Guardian Cap, as well as a host of other efforts we鈥檝e made over the years to drive the numbers down,鈥� said Jeff Miller, the NFL executive vice president overseeing player health and safety.
The league鈥檚 revamped kickoff rule led to fewer injuries overall but there were some concussions on the play.
鈥淲e saw a couple more concussions on the dynamic kickoff than we thought we would see,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 seen any concussions in the first three weeks of the dynamic kickoff in the regular season.鈥�
Nearly 99% of players wore top-performing helmets, including more than 250 players wearing helmets that the league says provide as much 鈥� and in some cases more 鈥� protection than a helmet paired with a Guardian Cap.
There was a nearly 50% reduction in concussions in the preseason among players wearing the Guardian Cap in mandated sessions versus the pre-mandate average.
The injuries were back in the forefront when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained his fourth diagnosed concussion in five years during Week 2.
"I know that he is seeing top experts,鈥� NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said.
Sills said the league has no role in Tagovailoa's future plans. If doctors clear him to play, it's Tagovailoa's decision.
鈥淧atient autonomy and medical decision-making really matters,鈥� Sills said. 鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 what we have to recognize goes on with our concussion protocol as well. Ultimately when patients make decisions about considering their careers, it has to reflect that autonomy that鈥檚 generated from discussions with medical experts giving them best medical advice.鈥�
Sills, a neurosurgeon who has led the NFL's push to strengthen its concussion guidelines, said there's no 鈥渄etailed formula鈥� that predicts future risk for players.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we can put in your number of concussions and how long between them and your age and some unusual constant or Avogadro鈥檚 number that always seemed to be in freshman chemistry somehow, and come up with a risk,鈥� Sills said. 鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 work that way. So what we end up having to do is look at the totality of the patient鈥檚 experience, how many concussions, the interval between those concussions, some about duration of symptoms after each concussion, and then very much the patient鈥檚 voice about where they are in their journey, their career, their age and things of that nature.
鈥淎nd from that, we try as medical professionals to provide our best guess. But that鈥檚 really what it is, is a guess at what is someone鈥檚 future risk of concussion.鈥�
Lower-extremity strains were down by 27% in 2024 compared to the 2021 preseason, the year before the acclimation period was introduced.
鈥淲hile there is no finish line in our efforts to make the game safer, the injury data from this preseason is an example of how the league鈥檚 deliberate approach to player safety continues to deliver results,鈥� Sills said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to building a culture of safety around the game, and this preseason was another positive step in that direction.鈥�
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AP NFL:
Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
