The NFL released injury data for the most recent preseason Friday, with the league noting the number of concussions in that phase of the year as its fewest since tracking started in 2015.
According to the league, there were 44 concussions in practices and games, a decrease of about 24% from last year.
“The 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’ve made over the years to drive the numbers down,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL executive vice president overseeing player health and safety.
The league’s revamped kickoff rule led to fewer injuries overall, but there were some concussions on the play.
“We saw a couple more concussions on the dynamic kickoff than we thought we would see,” Miller said. “We haven’t seen any concussions in the first three weeks of the dynamic kickoff in the regular season.”