In line with their rise to being one of the best teams in the NFL, surely not coincidentally, the Detroit Lions have been on the rise in the yearly survey done by the NFLPA. The results of the third annual edition of the players' survey were released on Wednesday, as 1,695 players turned in surveys
The Lions were 15th in the overall ranking in 2023, then they were 13th last year. This year, they jumped to ninth. Here are the individual grades the Lions received, with their ranking in each category.
- Treatment of families: B (13th)
- Food/dining area: B- (19th)
- Nutrition/Dietician: B (23rd)
- Locker room: C+ (19th)
- Training room: B (9th)
- Training staff: B (14th)
- Weight room: B (22nd)
- Strength coach: A- (16th)
- Team travel: B+ (12th)
- Head coach: A+ (5th)
- Ownership: B+ (14st)
The Lions rose in a few categories, including training room (13th to 9th), ownership (21st to 14th) and food/dining area (C to B-). They also dropped in ranking when it comes to locker room (13th to 19th) and team travel (8th to 12th, though the actual grade there improved from a B- to a B+).
Dan Campbell again gets very high mark in NFLPA survey
The Lions nutrition/dietician program was their lowest ranking on the survey for the second straight year. The primary issue appears to be individualized programs, with just 70 percent of players reporting they get an individualized nutrition plan (No. 28 out of 32 teams).
The Lions' dining area has improved a lot, but players still would like more options for food choices.
"The dining area has significantly improved year over year. Climbing from a D- in 2023 to a C in 2024 and this year a B-. The players still want more variety and options for food choices."
The size of the Lions' locker room and weight room came in below average per the player survey. Last year, team president Rod Wood said the training room will double in size.
Dan Campbell is a coach players want to play for, and for the second straight year he got an A+ in the NFLPA survey. He is one of six head coaches to get an A+ in this year's survey.
The survey highlighted two areas where Campbell received high marks.
"100% of Lions players believe their head coach Dan Campbell is efficient with their time. He is one of six coaches across the league to receive a perfect score from their players."
"The players feel that Campbell is highly receptive to locker room feedback on the team’s needs, ranking him 6 of 32 head coaches in the league."
Compared to some of the details from the NFLPA survey related to other teams, many of which actively make it harder for players to operate at their best, the Lions come out nicely with players "only" lamenting their individual locker size and calling for continued improvements to the food program.
"When asked what the team does best, the players’ resounding answers were culture and leadership, reflecting the great work that Campbell does as head coach."
"Players identified two areas for improvement: updating outdated lockers and further enhancing the food program, which has improved significantly in recent years."
Check out all 32 team grades here. Two other NFC North teams, the Minnesota Vikings (second) and Green Bay Packers (seventh) are in the top-10 overall, while the Chicago Bears came in 14th.
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