NFLPA polled 1,300 players about their teams. Some report cards — including the Commanders’ — are jaw-dropping

INDIANAPOLIS. Perhaps the most comprehensive look at how NFL players rate the quality of their teams, The NFL Players Association has released a set of “team report cards” that are surprising. on Wednesday, exposing some of the best and worst aspects of the league’s franchise.

The results were drawn from a survey of more than 1,300 respondents — nearly 60 percent of the league’s active players — to provide a broad range of opinions for those heading into free agency. Union president JC Tretter, who played for the Cleveland Browns in the 2021 season, said the purpose of the report cards is to help players better understand the franchises they evaluate as free agents. At the same time, he draws the attention of franchises when it comes to areas of their activity that are good or bad reviews.

The Minnesota Vikings were the highest in the aggregate rankings, while the Washington Commanders were the lowest.

In a note to players accompanying the survey results, Tretter wrote: “For many years players have been pushing the idea of ​​creating a ‘Free Agent Guide’ that would provide information that could help you understand what this day-to-day experience is like for players and their families. from team to team. If knowledge is indeed power, then providing players with information about each club will not only help them make important career decisions, but will also help raise standards at each club.”

Speaking to reporters at the plant on Wednesday, Tretter added that the survey was meant to inform players as well as inform teams about shortcomings.

“There were a lot of positives overall… I don’t want it to feel like bad-mouthing,” Tretter said. “I think there have been many examples of teams doing great things for players. [But those thingsare ] a stark contrast when you hear about some of the problems guys face [with their teams]sad.”

The report cards ranked teams in eight categories: Family Treatment, Nutrition, Gym, Strength Staff, Practice Room, Training Staff, Locker Room, and Travel. Each area was rated by players on a scale from A+ (considered exemplary) to F- (virtually zero team effort) with thumbnail descriptions detailing why the scores ended up where they were. While each team was assessed individually based on all categories, there was a common report card for all teams.

The report noted some interesting shortcomings. For example, the Cincinnati Bengals are the only team in the NFL that does not provide players with supplements. The Bengals are also only one of two teams in the league that don’t provide vitamins and one of three teams in the league that don’t offer dinner as part of their training table. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all three of these realities align with longstanding complaints from former Cincinnati players and staff that parts of the organization are run cheaply by team owner Mike Brown. Overall, the Bengals finished 27th in the league based on their cumulative report card rankings.

There are certainly some surprises in the aggregated report cards. Two Super Bowl teams? The Philadelphia Eagles finished 14th overall in the league, while the Kansas City Chiefs were in a surprising 29th. Meanwhile, the bottom-dwelling Houston Texans finished fourth, ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who were fifth.

The overall cumulative ranking of franchises from best to worst was as follows:

1 Minnesota Vikings
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Las Vegas Raiders
4. Houston Texans
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Green Bay Packers
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. New York Giants
9. Buffalo Bills
10. New Orleans Saints
11. Seattle Seahawks
12. Carolina Panthers
13. Chicago Bears
14. Philadelphia Eagles
15. Detroit Lions
16. Indianapolis Colts
17. Baltimore Ravens
18. Tennessee Titans
19. New York Jets
20. Denver Broncos
21. Cleveland Browns
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. New England Patriots
25. Los Angeles Rams
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27. Cincinnati Bengals
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
29. Kansas City Chiefs
30. Los Angeles Chargers
31. Arizona Cardinals
32. Washington Commanders

This story will be updated.