Helmet maker Vicis introduced the first position-specific helmet and the NFL announced on Tuesday that it has performed well in its first round of laboratory testing.
The Vicis Zero2-R Trench helmet is designed for offensive and defensive linemen and it ranked second among all 41 helmet models tested by the league. Another new Vicis model, the Zero2-R Matrix, ranked first and a third, the Zero2-R, rounded out the top three.
“Players have more and better choices than ever before. Continued improvement in helmet design has raised the bar for top performing helmet models,” NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller said in a statement. “The introduction of the first position-specific helmet is a promising development within the helmet industry to further customize helmets for the unique safety requirements of each position. The NFL and NFLPA have long supported critical innovation in helmet design through our research and innovation challenges and by providing necessary data to manufacturers, and we’re excited for that effort to yield tangible results.”
The league also noted that three helmets were added to the list of prohibited models and that more than 99 percent of the league’s players used “top-performing” models during the 2020 season.
