Xenith helmets double NFL count after top ratings in Va. Tech tests

The helmet landscape has changed in the NFL now that Riddell's contract as the official headgear of the league has expired. Schutt and Rawlings have stepped into the picture as helmet providers.

But Xenith may be making the biggest gains in protecting the heads of NFL players. Xenith, which expects to provide headgear to 200 NFL players this season -- twice as many as last season.

Xenith already manufactured the safest helmet in 2013, according to the Virginia Tech STAR testing system, and had two 5-star models in 2014. That has led many NFL players to switch to Xenith.

-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor