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Notch another tally in the turf column.
The Browns’ new $2.6 billion stadium—set to be ready for the 2029 NFL season—will feature artificial turf, according to ProFootballTalk.
The Browns only broke ground on the project April 30, so there’s still a long way to go before any final playing surface is put in. But if the decision holds, it will tip the number of teams playing home games on artificial turf (17) above those playing on real grass (15). The league is balanced at present: 16 teams play on turf home fields and 16 play on grass, with the Browns currently in the latter category.
The news comes as the long-simmering grass vs. turf debate is as active as ever thanks to the 2026 World Cup, which saw eight NFL teams temporarily replace artificial turf playing surfaces with natural grass to comply with FIFA’s requirements.
The NFL Players Association used the tournament as an opportunity to advocate for more grass usage across the league. Its efforts included a coordinated social media campaign, dubbed #WorthTheCost, timed to the World Cup Final; alongside the union itself, dozens of players shared the hashtag across platforms to express their preference for grass fields.
The Browns new stadium will have the “ability to accommodate grass,” per the report, but that will likely only happen if and when the venue hosts soccer matches.
Other freshly completed or still-ongoing stadium projects reflect the in-flux nature of the issue. While the Bills opted to convert from turf to grass for their just-opened venue—which will see its first regular-season game on Sept. 17—the Kansas City Chiefs have not made a decision about the playing surface for their forthcoming domed field.
More Developments
The public comment period for the $3.8 billion stadium and mixed-use development proposed by the Commanders is entering its final weeks. Among the most-cited concerns by D.C.-area residents are the size of planned parking garages and the preservation of green space, according to WUSA 9 in Washington. Public feedback will inform the final master plan for the project, which is set to open in 2030.
However, things aren’t moving along as swimmingly in Denver. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Broncos president Damani Leech indicated that the team’s plans for a new retractable-roof stadium to be ready by 2031 are in jeopardy of being delayed as a result of slow-moving community input processes.
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