INDIANAPOLIS — The Browns went 11-6 and made the playoffs in 2023 but dropped two spots to 23rd in the NFL Players Association player report card.
The major issues from a year ago remained a problem: The weight room is substandard and the locker room too small.
The union released its second annual survey of the league’s players Wednesday, with 1,706 players having completed it in full, a 77 percent rate, according to union president and former Browns center JC Tretter.
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The Browns ranked 21st of the 32 teams in the debut of the report card.
The weight room was shifted to the end of the field house during the pandemic and remains there. The players want a self-contained weight room and don’t like losing 15-20 yards of the already less-than-full-length indoor field. They also said the quality of the equipment is below average.
The weight room was graded a D and the locker room — one of the smallest in the league — a D-plus.
Coach Kevin Stefanski announced plans to build a new weight room.
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“Every year you have to be open to everything information-wise to get better,” he said at the scouting combine. “I’m happy to tell you guys, we’re building a new weight room so we know that that’s an area that we want to get better.
“I take input from our players. I feel really strongly about our leaders, our leadership committee, my office downstairs, the door is always open. Even if it’s closed, it’s open. So I welcome input and that will never change.”
#Browns Kevin Stefanski on the poor grades in NFLPA report card. pic.twitter.com/XKAjShGnfm
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) February 28, 2024
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Ownership got a B and Stefanski a B-minus. He won The Associated Press’ Coach of the Year award this season for the second time in his four years. According to the survey, only 70 percent of the players feel he’s efficient with their time.
Stefanski said none of the players voiced that complaint during the season.
“I don’t know all the details of the report card, but I know that I feel really comfortable that guys can come to me with any of their concerns,” he said.
The coaches and owners didn’t receive independent grades last year. Owner Jimmy Haslam got a rating of 8.6 out of 10 this year when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities.
#Browns ranked 23rd in NFL in survey of players conducted by NFLPA. Here’s the breakdown. pic.twitter.com/Z3BmnzjZGi
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) February 28, 2024
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The Dolphins and Vikings led the overall rankings, with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs 31st and the Commanders last.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid ranked first, but owner Clark Hunt was last. Josh McDaniels, fired by the Raiders during the season, was graded last among coaches.
The Browns ranked 26th in the league in the treatment of families category, which received their worst grade, a D-minus. The summary states the Browns are one of 12 teams that don’t have a family room at the stadium, although they provide daycare. The postgame family meet-up area is a tent in the parking lot.
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Another complaint is that early in the season the Browns didn’t allow players who had been carted off the field with an injury to contact their loved ones from the locker room.
The team’s best grade was a B-plus for the strength coaches.
Other grades: food/cafeteria C-plus, nutritionist/dietician C-plus, training room C-plus (not enough staff), training staff B-minus and team travel D (required to have a roommate the night before a game).
“The category grades for the Browns reflect the sentiments of the players: that the club is doing just enough to create a passable experience for the players with below average standards, but not doing nearly enough to create a high-quality workplace environment,” read the overview of the Browns report card.
The strength staff received an A-plus last year and the training staff an A.
