The Pittsburgh Steelers were ranked 28th out of 32 teams in the NFL from the NFLPA's report card this year. As surprising as it may seem for some, the Steelers have a lot of more things to work on within the organization that it may appear. They were in the bottom half of the barrel for almost every category, except for the head coach. Steelers General Manager Omar Khan was asked about the reports, and wasn't too concerned with them overall.
NFL.com
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan speaks to the media while at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Pittsburgh received a D or an F in multiple different categories. More specifically, there are concerns about the Steelers' poorly graded training facilities. It has been said that players are upset that Steelers Owner Art Rooney II is unwilling to invest in the team's training and practice facilities. At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Khan was asked about these concerns.
"I by no means think our facilities are holding us back from being successful."
Khan also stated at the combine that his goal for this coming season is to win the Super Bowl. With poor grades like these, the Steelers will have to improve not just the actual roster, but everything that is provided to the players. Improving their facilities would be the first step to getting back to a championship according to some.
Steelers NFLPA report card -- as graded by the players.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 28, 2024
Mike Tomlin gets an A. Treatment of families gets an F- while the locker room gets an F and the training room gets a D+ pic.twitter.com/eD3GgQsMib
Treatment of families, nutrition, locker room, training room, team travel, and ownership are all categories that received ugly grades. According to the NFLPA, the Steelers are one of a few teams that do not provide their players with a daycare on game day. Players feel their weight room is below average, and players feel like they lack staffing in the training room to receive individual care. Many players are not high on Rooney's willingness to invest in a better workplace, as he ranks 31st in all owners in this year's report.
NFL.com
Steelers Owner Art Rooney II ranked second to worst owner in NFL by NFLPA.
The poor grades are not a good look for Pittsburgh. With the draft and free agency coming up, reports like these could sometimes make or break a deal for players looking to join the organization. A lot of players are into having excellent training facilities, and clearly Pittsburgh does not have one. An upgrade would be more than ideal; doing nothing would show where Rooney's priorities are.
The NFLPA report cards are generally new, only beginning two years ago. It's hard to tell what players specifically feel this way and how flawed the process truly is. The questions and answers on the survey for the report cards are unknown, aside from the facilities. This being said, this may be why Khan is not too concerned. However, Khan is very serious about taking the next step in Pittsburgh, so you should expect some changes stemming from these reports.
The Athletic
Steelers' Omar Khan has thrived since taking over as the team's general manager in 2022.
Right now, Khan and company are working on building their roster, as they scout players at the combine before the NFL Draft in April. It's encouraging that the stars of the team don't have much to say on the matter. If they did, that would give a whole new outlook. If TJ Watt or Cam Heyward were to agree on any of the horrible grades, that could intensify the issue at hand. But it seems that most of the players are comfortable with where the organization is at right now, and that is a good sign. The Steelers can focus on building their team as they look forward to next season, with a lot to prove.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Are some of these NFLPA report card grades concerning? Or do the Steelers just need to get back to winning championships and all will be forgiven? Let us know in the comments below.
#SteelerNation
