NFL position-specific helmet options will more than double for '24 - ESPN

Helmet manufacturers have more than doubled the number of position-specific models that will be available to NFL players in 2024, according to annual helmet safety rankings released Tuesday by the NFL and NFL Players Association.

Eight of the 12 top-ranked helmets are designed for either quarterbacks or offensive/defensive linemen. They include multiple new manufacturers — including Riddell, whose Axiom 3D model is ranked No. 1 — and are the result of a push from the league to spur more activity in the space.

«It's a fantastic pace of innovation,» said Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy. «The players in those position groups will have a lot of options that they haven't had before.»

The NFL/NFLPA helmet rankings, revealed today, include 8 position-specific helmets in the top 12. Big jump in that space for OL/DL and QBs. Includes Riddell's Axiom 3D, which has versions for both positions plus a standard model, at No. 1 overall. pic.twitter.com/qn5c0XOEEY

The NFL and NFLPA first approved position-specific helmets for linemen in 2022 and quarterbacks in 2023. Last season, there were a total of three approved models — two for linemen and one for quarterbacks. They were worn by nine quarterbacks and 20 linemen in total. Miller said those numbers were a «good start for quarterbacks» but «a little more modest than we would have liked» for linemen.

«As more manufacturers are building those helmets for linemen, I think that there's an opportunity to grow those numbers,» he said. In general, helmets designed for linemen focus additional protection at the front of the model to account for the sub-concussive contact they typically experience during the initial moments after the