For a second year in a row, the NFL Players’ Association released its report card for each team in the league. The Bears improved in some areas, like treatment of families, compared to last year. But they still lagged behind in others. Overall they remain one of the highest-graded teams in the league and ranked 10th for their cumulative grade.
The NFLPA surveyed over 1,700 players across the league to put together their report cards and “to not only help them make important career decisions, but also help raise standards across the league.”
We’ll go through all of the Bears’ grades, in order of best to worst.
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WEIGHT ROOM - A
Last year’s grade: A
NFL rank: 6th
Bears players said they have high-quality equipment to use and that they have more than enough space to work out.
LOCKER ROOM - A-
NFL
Last year’s grade: A
NFL rank: 4th
It makes sense that the Bears’ facilities rank among the best in the league, considering the Bears finished a huge renovation at Halas Hall in 2019. Every single Bears player polled said they had enough space in the locker room.
TRAINING ROOM - B+
Last year’s grade: A+
NFL rank: 6th
Almost all the Bears believe the team has enough tub space and trainers, but 84% of the players polled said they have enough physical therapists.
OWNERSHIP - B+
Last year’s grade: N/A
NFL rank: 13th
This was a new category on the report card, and the McCaskeys got a 8.9/10 score from players when considering their willingness to invest in the facilities.
TEAM TRAVEL - B
Last year’s grade: C-
NFL rank: 6th
This was a big jump for the Bears. Last year, only 78% of players polled said they had enough room to stretch out when they hit the road. This year 90% of players said they had a comfortable amount of personal space.
TRAINING STAFF - B
Last year’s grade: A-
NFL rank: 10th
Almost all the Bears think they get enough one-on-one training, but they said trainers “moderately” contribute to their success.
HEAD COACH - B
Last year’s grade: N/A
NFL rank: 25th
Another new category. Matt Eberflus got dinged because only 81% of players polled said he’s efficient with their time and they characterized him as “somewhat willing to listen to the locker room.”
TREATMENT OF FAMILIES - C+
Last year’s grade: C-
NFL rank: 11th
The NFLPA singled this out as an area that has improved for the Bears since last year’s report card. The team now offers daycare on gameday and gave families a private tent to sit and watch training camp. Players polled across both seasons said “the team is generally more caring toward the family this season.”
NUTRITIONIST/DIETICIAN - C+
Last year’s grade: D+
NFL rank: 24th
Last year, the NFLPA lumped together food services and dieticians. This year they broke them out into two separate categories. Only 69% of players said they felt like they got a personalized nutrition plan from the team.
FOOD/CAFETERIA - C
Last year’s grade: D+
NFL rank: 21st
Another bump from last year, but the Bears still don’t think the food at Halas Hall is particularly good. The team ranked 24th overall in food taste and 20th in food freshness. The polled players also said they would like healthier options and do not believe the food maximizes their performance.