The Pittsburgh Steelers did not fare well in the NFL Players Association’s annual team report cards. For the first time, the Steelers came in last place, according to ESPN, which obtained the survey results after the league won a grievance to stop the NFLPA from making the report cards public.
The survey — based on responses from 1,759 players — had the Miami Dolphins ranked first, the Minnesota Vikings second and the Washington Commanders third. For a second straight year, the Cleveland Browns ranked 30th among the NFL’s 32 teams.
Miami reportedly ranked fourth overall in home field due to the quality of the natural grass at Hard Rock Stadium. Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (now the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers) received a B grade a year after getting an A+ in the survey.
“Players identify scheduling, communication, and leadership as key areas for head coaching improvement, presenting an opportunity for [new head coach Jeff] Hafley next season,” the survey said of the Dolphins’ coaching situation.
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Elsewhere, the Steelers reportedly received low grades in several categories, including having the lowest-rated home field in the NFL “by a wide margin.”
Pittsburgh shares its home field with the University of Pittsburgh and plays on a field that hosts high school playoff games. All of that activity typically leads to less-than-ideal playing surfaces for the Steelers and their opponents.
The Steelers’ locker room received an F, as players stated that it “has only five bathroom stalls for the entire team.” Steelers president Art Rooney ranked last in the league for “willingness to invest in facilities, a trend reflected in the Steelers’ poor facility ratings across the board.”
In the past, Rooney has downplayed the NFLPA’s annual survey.
“It doesn’t get presented to us, it gets presented to the media, so as far as I’m concerned it’s a media opportunity for the players association as opposed to a serious effort of constructive criticism,” Rooney said in 2024.
In its grievance, the NFL stated that the survey violated the collective bargaining agreement. An arbitrator agreed while stating that the report cards violated the CBA by “disparaging NFL clubs and individuals.” The NFLPA said it would continue to collect responses from the report cards even if it was unable to publish them.
A spokesperson for the NFLPA declined to comment to ESPN. An NFL spokesperson also declined to comment while stating that, like the last four years of the NFLPA’s report cards, the league had no knowledge of the survey.
