“Absolutely I’m wearing it,” Rapp told The Buffalo News after practice Thursday.

Rapp was injured in a tackle with Ravens running back Derrick Henry and missed the Bills' loss at Houston last week. Rapp was cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol and returned to practice as a full participant earlier this week. He is believed to be the first Bills player to wear the Guardian Cap in a game.

It was the second concussion of Rapp's career that caused him to miss time. He was injured in the Los Angeles Rams' regular season finale against San Francisco in January 2022 and was inactive for three playoff games before returning in the Super Bowl win against Cincinnati.

The Guardian Cap is a soft padded cover that attaches to a player's helmet. It was introduced NFL-wide in 2021 and was worn by linemen on a voluntary basis. During training camp this summer, all players except quarterbacks and specialists were required to wear Guardian Caps.

For a game, Guardian produces a cover with the team's logo, which is placed on the padding.

This is the first season that players can wear the Guardian Cap in a regular season game. In Weeks 1 and 2, Cleveland linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Tennessee tight end Josh Whyle, Pittsburgh guard James Daniels, New England safety Jabrill Peppers, Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor, safety Rodney Thomas and tight end Kylen Granson wore the caps.

According to NFL research, the Guardian cap absorbs up to 10% of the force of a hit, and earlier this year Jeff Miller, the league's executive vice president, said use of the cap resulted in a 50% decrease in concussions during training camp .

“I enjoyed wearing (the hat) during training camp and (also) switched to the new helmet,” Rapp said. “It was definitely something I considered (before the concussion).”

Does the cap feel heavy on the helmet?

“It adds a little weight, but once you wear it in practice throughout the week, you get used to it,” Rapp said.

While the Bills won four straight AFC titles, safety Mark Kelso wore a padded shell over his helmet after suffering two concussions. Kelso signed the helmet and gave it to quarterback Jim Kelly, who later donated it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1. “No. 70 is eligible to report.” It was a new experience this year for reserve offensive guard/center Alec Anderson and his family. Anderson has played 75 snaps, mostly as a jumbo tight end, meaning he has to report his field entry to the referee, who then announces it to the crowd.

At the start of warmups before last week's game in Houston, Anderson made sure to introduce himself to referee Clay Martin.

“I'm the 'Jumbo' tight end – here's just a little reminder,” Anderson told Martin.

Anderson credits offensive line coach Aaron Kromer for helping him with the blocking techniques needed to play on the edge of the line.

“We try to keep everything the same when I move from guard to tackle or from center/guard to tight end,” Anderson said. “It's easy to do all those things (regarding blocking) because Kromer does a great job of keeping everything simple. He says, “You have to block that play in the zone, but just think of it as guarding and you do the same footwork.” ”

I asked Anderson if his family appreciates it when the referee makes him aware of his presence on the field.

“Oh, they love it,” he said, laughing. “My mom didn't really know what it meant, so I explained it to her and my dad was like, 'He plays a lot.' Pay attention.' ”

2. Welcome to the NFL. Signed on a Tuesday and in uniform on a Sunday, it was a turbulent Week 5 for Bills defensive tackle Zion Logue. He came off Atlanta's practice squad and due to injuries to Ed Oliver (hamstring) and Austin Johnson (oblique), Logue played 20 snaps against Houston.

“(The video) looked pretty good,” said Logue, who had two tackles. “At the beginning my feet were a little wet, but I settled in and played football. It was great to play in my first NFL game with some people I’ve known for a long time and people who welcomed me and made it easy for me.”

Logue played at Georgia with current Bills starting running back James Cook, reserve center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and practice squad safety/linebacker Lewis Cine.

3. Jets Memories. Bills practice squad quarterback Mike White spent parts of four seasons with the Jets from 2019-22, starting seven games (2-5 record) and throwing eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

“I enjoyed my time there,” White said. “When I was there we didn’t have a lot of success, but we had a lot of good people in that building. Since I left, I have remained in the department and therefore cannot support them.”

White was traded to Miami in the 2023 offseason and to the Bills on August 27th.

4. Draft clock. No. 2 Ohio State plays No. 3 Oregon in a Big Ten showdown on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC. Both rosters are loaded with NFL prospects – but when it comes to the Bills, keep an eye on Buckeyes edge rusher JT Tuimoloau, who wears No. 44. Tuimoloau is 6-foot-1, 269 pounds and has 14 sacks and 26 total tackles for lost yards in 44 career games.

5. Extra points. In the losses to Baltimore and Houston, the Bills' offense had eight three-and-out possessions, compared to just three in their 3-0 start. Two of the issues were third-down issues in general and third-and-long issues in particular. The Bills were 6 of 27 on third down against the Ravens and Texans, including 0 of 14 when they needed eight or more yards. … Two sensational plays by linebacker Terrel Bernard were lost in the loss. On a fourth-and-1, Bernard went airborne a la Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, collided with Texas running back Dare Ogunbowale and made the stop. And Bernard's fourth-quarter interception was a sign of elite awareness and playmaking. … The Bills are 7 of 7 in fourth place this year; Their opponents are 5 of 15. … Left defenseman O'Cyrus Torrence had his first goal against in pass defense against Houston. I booked him for five pressures and a knockdown in weeks 1-4. … Maybe defensive tackle Greg Rousseau will get back into the swing of things. He had three sacks in the Bills' Week 1 win over Arizona, but only three interceptions in Weeks 2-4. But against Houston I recorded three pressures and 3½ knockdowns. … The Bills have outscored their opponents 41-10 in takeaways and entered Week 6 tied with Green Bay for the best turnover differential (plus-7).