Will Tua Tagovailoa wear a Guardian Cap? What model of helmet does he use?

Tua Tagovailoa’s journey through head injuries has led to a hot topic of discussion: his helmet choice. After sustaining his third documented concussion during a Dolphins game last month, Tagovailoa has made it clear that he’ll return to the field in Week 8 with a personal decision — he won’t be donning a Guardian Cap, as such.

Instead, he’s sticking with his VICIS ZERO2 MATRIX ID helmet, a model known for its advanced impact reduction, with the NFL even classifying it as “Guardian Cap optional.” It seems this helmet, along with Tagovailoa’s resolve, will carry him forward into the rest of the season.

Why is Tagovailoa not using a Guardian Cap?

So, why does one of the highest paid players not add another layer of protection? As per the optional requirement, NFL medical experts recently clarified that some helmets, including Tagovailoa’s, offer substantial impact resistance, and that Guardian Caps aren’t universally effective across all helmet models. For players like Tagovailoa, whose VICIS helmet already meets high safety standards, the added cap might not provide additional benefit.

That said, NFL data has shown the cap’s ability to reduce concussions by about 50 percent in preseason practices. But despite these encouraging statistics, Guardian Caps have yet to catch on widely among players during Games, with only a handful using them each week.

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The Dolphins have certainly felt Tagovailoa’s absence so fans are excited to have him back. His replacements — Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley, and even Tim Boyle — have struggled, scoring just two rushing touchdowns across three games and averaging only 132 passing yards per game.

Without Tua, Miami’s aerial attack has gone quiet, and its offensive yardage has tumbled to a mere fraction of what it managed when Tagovailoa was behind center. As the quarterback returns, we’ll all be watching closely, and not just for his throws, but for how his helmet holds up under pressure.

For Tua and his team the focus is now on Sunday’s Week 8 match-up with the Arizona Cardinals. The action gets underway at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT from the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.