NFLPA survey yields high grades for Broncos ownership and coach, low marks for locker room

INDIANAPOLIS — There weren’t any huge changes for the Broncos in the second NFLPA survey of players regarding logistics, facilities and team management.

The Broncos received one of the lowest marks for the state of the locker room last year. That happened again in 2024, with a common complaint being the cramped quarters in which the players find themselves. But the plans for a new facility — driven in no small part by the results of last year’s survey and the marks regarding Broncos facilities — also helped lead to the “A” grade given to team ownership.

The NFLPA survey gave head coach Sean Payton an A-minus. However, it must be noted that coaches generally receive good grades. The A-minus grade placed Payton in a tie for 13th with Doug Pederson of the Jaguars, DeMeco Ryans of Houston, Brian Daboll of the Giants, Shane Steichen of the Colts, Frank Reich of the Panthers — since dismissed — and Arizona’s Jonathan Gannon.

The lowest head-coaching grade went to the Las Vegas Raiders, who had Josh McDaniels at the time of this survey. McDaniels received a D, making him the only coach given any grade below a C.

The lowest ownership score went to the Kansas City Chiefs, who received the rare F-minus. This stemmed in part because of what the NFLPA reported regarding Chiefs owner Clark Hunt’s promise to renovate the locker room. It went unkept, with the only changes being the replacement of backless stools with chairs.

Of course, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid provide quite the deodorant for the stench of a failing grade for ownership.

COMPARING LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR IN THE NFLPA SURVEY

Some of the categories were slightly different.

LOCKER ROOM

• 2023: D-plus
• 2024: D

Size matters, and the locker room just isn’t big enough. Just 61 percent of players felt the locker room was large enough, and 31 percent of players felt there wasn’t enough room in their lockers, with “little or no personal space” in the room.

TREATMENT OF FAMILIES

• 2023: D-plus
• 2024: D-plus

The unchanged grade reflected the lack of daycare facilities at the stadium on game day, according to the NFLPA. Denver ranked tied for 17th in this metric.

FOOD SERVICE/NUTRITION

• 2023: D
• 2024: B and B-plus

This year, it was separated into two grades — one for the food and cafeteria, the other for the nutritionists and dieticians.

WEIGHT ROOM

• 2023: B-plus
• 2024: B

Denver ranked 19th in the league in this category.

STRENGTH COACHES

• 2023: B-plus
• 2024: C

The Broncos’ grade dropped because only 80 percent of players felt they received an individualized plan, which ranked 27th of 32 clubs.

TRAINING ROOM

• 2023: C-plus
• 2024: B-minus

The Broncos ranked in the league’s top 10 in availability of full-time trainers, physical therapists and cold-tub space. But Denver was 25th in how the players felt regarding the availability of hot-tub space.

TRAINING STAFF

• 2023: C
• 2024: B

The Broncos ranked 11th in this category. 88% of players surveyed said they believed they receive enough one-on-one treatment, placing the Broncos 16th in the NFL>

TEAM TRAVEL

• 2023: B-plus
• 2024: B-minus

The Broncos ranked in the NFL’s top 10. Although their grade dropped, the NFLPA reported that all but 7 percent of Broncos players felt they had a “comfortable amount” of personal space on the team flights.

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