February 28, 2024
The NFL Players Association's annual grades of teams have been released. Per the NFLPA, here is the purpose of this grading system:
One of our core jobs as a union is to improve the overall working conditions for our players, which includes the daily experience of players at the team facilities away from the lights and cameras.
1,706 of our players provided information to share with one another about their current club, to not only help them make important career decisions, but also help raise standards across the league.
Our goals were to highlight positive clubs, identify areas that could use improvement, and highlight best practices and standards.
So how did the Eagles grade out?
Take a look at how they stacked up in each of the available categories:
| Category | Grade | League Rank |
| Training Room | B+ | 9th |
| Training Staff | A- | 4th |
| Weight Room | A- | 9th |
| Strength Coaches | A- | 6th |
| Travel | C | 19th |
| Head Coach | A | 6th |
| Owner | A | 7th |
| Treatment of Families | C | 16th |
| Food/Cafeteria | A | 2nd |
| Nutritionist/Dietician | B | 13th |
Hmm...
When it comes to the facets of the organization that directly affect on-field performance, like training, the Eagles grade very well. The same is true for the head coach and owner despite the discourse around Nick Sirianni after this past season's flameout. Where the Eagles lack, however, comes more so on the personal side of things like travel and, notably, the treatment of players' families.
This is the NFLPA's overall statement on the Birds' report card:
The Philadelphia Eagles finish the year ranked 4th overall in the team survey report. Survey respondents consistently grade the staff highly. The strength coaches, training staff and head coach Nick Sirianni all receive extremely high grades from the players.
The players also have a lot of faith in club owner Jeffrey Lurie’s willingness to continually upgrade the facilities. Last year, the survey highlighted that the Eagles had some of the smallest hot/cold tubs in the league and this offseason, the team upgraded their tub room, which the players appreciated.
The players mention two priority areas that they would like to see upgraded as soon as possible. First is the team’s travel setup. Players feel crammed in the back of the plane while the staff sits in first class. The second issue players mention is the need for a renovated locker room, which feels outdated.
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff McLane provided more clarity on the travel issue:
The #Eagles did address travel this past year by chartering a second plane to away games that allowed for more room for players. But there are only so many first class seats and coaches, executives and other staff personnel typically get those spots.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) February 28, 2024
The players still want more… https://t.co/YAFO00MKFU
The NFLPA shared more information on the family aspect:
• They provide a family room at the stadium
• They are one of 11 teams that do not provide free, onsite daycare to their players’ families
• They do provide a room for childcare, but each player must supply the childcare themselves
• The top change players feel would improve the treatment of families is upgrading the daycare offered on gameday to match the offering of most teams across the league
Room for improvement for sure.
For comparison's sake, here is how the Eagles graded out last year:
| Category | Grade | NFL Rank |
| Treatment of Families | B- | Tied 16th |
| Food Service/Nutrition | A | Tied 1st |
| Weight Room | A- | Tied 9th |
| Strength Coaches | A+ | Tied 1st |
| Training Room | C- | Tied 22nd |
| Training Staff | A+ | Tied 1st |
| Locker Room | C+ | Tied 18th |
| Team Travel | D | 27th |
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