New QB helmet could help the Miami Dolphins greatly

The NFL has introduced a new quarterback-specific helmet for the 2023 season and it could help the Miami Dolphins in a big way.

The Miami Dolphins lost starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three separate times during the 2022 season, seeing the former Alabama Crimson Tide passer suffer concussions on two occasions and miss significant time.

Tagovailoa has been documented as working on ways to protect himself from suffering concussions in 2023, including practicing martial arts (specifically jiu-jitsu) to work on how he falls to the ground, but now the league is making available something that could be another difference-maker in the matter.

Developed by VICIS, the new Zero2 Matrix helmet is reported to reduce the severity of ground-to-head impact by 7%, aiming to reduce the number of head injuries suffered by quarterbacks in the NFL, which saw an increase in concussions by 18% in 2022.

For the Dolphins, this could go a long way to keeping Tagovailoa on the field for longer and protecting the most important position on the team. When Tagovailoa was on the field, the Dolphins were noticeably better, seeing him eclipse career highs in a number of statistical categories.

3548 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 8.9 yards per attempt, and 13.7 yards per catch had the Dolphins riding high on an 8-5 record before finishing the year 9-8 with Tagovailoa sidelined due to his second concussion.

If the Dolphins are serious about competing for the playoffs every year, making sure their prized asset can remain healthy for the long run will be a top priority.

Giving him the best protection will be the main focus, but there will surely be a lot of encouragement from coaching and medical staff for Tagovailoa to switch to this new helmet.

For the 25-year-old, making the switch will go a long way to protecting his health, even beyond his football career. There has been plenty of talk in recent years over the impact of concussions on football players in their later lives, and this helmet is some progress towards lessening that.

The new helmet will be a welcome addition to the league, not just for the Dolphins, but for teams and quarterbacks throughout the NFL. However, it’s clear that the main talking point around the Dolphins will put additional attention on them, and this development almost seems tailor-made for them.