Why did the Dallas Cowboys fall seven spots in 2024 NFLPA player report cards?
The NFLPA released its annual NFL Player Team Report Cards for the second straight year. The report card showcases how players feel about their NFL teams and weighs various factors including training staff, strength coaches, family treatment, Food, locker room, training room, weight room and travel.
This year the NFLPA added categories in nutrition and diet, head coaching, and ownership.
The Dallas Cowboys were ranked fifth in the first edition of the player report cards but fared much worse in this year falling seven spots to 12th place overall.
The Cowboys biggest weak points according to their players were the training staff (C-), training room (D+) and team travel (C-) which ranked 30th, 26th and 22nd best in the NFL.
The training staff (A-) and training room (B) were ranked higher last season while travel earned the same marks.
Players cited a lack of equipment they would expect to be available in a training room, too few full-time physical therapists and trainers and not enough personal space on flights.
The Cowboys were graded highest when it came to treatment of families (A+), head coach (A), locker room (A), and weight room (A) which ranked 4th, 9th, 2nd, and 5th in the NFL.
The Cowboys were lauded for offering gameday daycare, Mike McCarthy’s willingness to listen to players, the quality of equipment in the weight room and the size of the locker room.
Team owner Jerry Jones received a B from players with a rating of 8.6/10 which placed him 19th among NFL owners.
1,706 active NFL players participated in the survey which accounted for 77% of players in the league.
The grading breakdown is 15% for ownership, 10% for head coach, 9% for team travel, 9% for strength coaches, 9% for weight rooms, 9% for training staff, 9% for training rooms, 9% for the locker room, 9% for cafeteria, 6% for dietitians and 6% for treatment of families.
The Miami Dolphins were the top-graded team in the NFL with A’s in every category and owner Stephen Ross earning the highest grade in the NFL.
The full breakdown of how the teams are graded and ranked can be found on the NFLPA report card website.
