Last July, the NFL announced it was finally lifting its ban on alternate helmets. A year later, teams are now unveiling those alternates to be debuted this season, and fans are pumped.
While some teams have rich histories and awesome throwbacks to pull from in the design of their new shells, other teams opted for brand new looks. Most of the reaction is excitement, but not every helmet stacks up the same. Some are simply better than others. So let’s rank them.
For the purposes of this, I’m only ranking helmets — not the complete alternate uniform. The biggest determining factor was which helmet I would most want to wear if I was a player. But nostalgia and creativity also played a part. Let’s get into it.
3
Cincinnati Bengals
A deal’s a deal. 🤝
Presented by Swift Meats pic.twitter.com/miE5FLlzdS
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 22, 2022
If there’s one helmet I struggle to separate from the entire uniform the most, it’s this one. It’s fun to think about the Bengals in all white with black stripes a la the White Bengal Tiger. On its own, I’ve always enjoyed the Bengals helmet because of how different it is from others.
6
philadelphia eagles
paint it black#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/9FPwyQ9fSR
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 22, 2022
These are actually dope, and I like the touch of glitter in the glossy black paint. But my personal preference is matte black over glossy.
7
New England Patriots
*Matty McFly. pic.twitter.com/lqqMG13VXl
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 22, 2022
In a vacuum, these throwback helmets are honestly just average. In concert with the red uniforms fans have been clamoring for, they work better. And Pat Patriot makes them a lot more unique than some of the remaining helmets on this list.
8
New York Jets
🔥🖤✈️ pic.twitter.com/zTVd4QNIGU
— New York Jets (@nyjets) July 22, 2022
The Jets simply took their green helmets and made them black, which is fine because it’s hard to make a black helmet look bad. But it’s also boring. I would’ve preferred they bring back the 80s/90s throwback helmet.
9
New Orleans Saints
First Look 👀#Saints pic.twitter.com/QKMYdNru5Y
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) June 16, 2022
This might be a case of doing too much. The Saints’ alternate helmet looks like a Luis Vuitton collab. Black and gold gives them so many possibilities, but I’m not a fan of this look.
10
Washington Commanders
Profile look of black unis is dope. Love the DC flag patch pic.twitter.com/7ox1wIMXcD
— J.P. Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) February 2, 2022
Luckily for Commanders fans, everything about their look this season is new. Their alternate blacks are clean, just not very creative.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism