Buffalo’s transition to natural turf faced immediate scrutiny after a rocky debut, yet team officials remain confident that the new surface will stabilize as the roots mature.
One of the biggest changes in the switch from the old Highmark Stadium to the new one is the surface the Buffalo Bills and their opponents will be playing on. After years of artificial turf, the team installed natural grass in the new stadium.
While it's been a welcomed addition for both players and fans, the first game on grass drew mixed reviews.
Following the first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, one unnamed player told Tim Graham of The Athletic that "the field is ass right now. But it's early."
Another said that the field was "soft, but not in a good way." Linebacker Dorian Williams, on the other hand, acknowledged that the grass "chunked up a little bit" during the game, but still said that "it's better than playing on turf" and "the kinks will keep getting worked out."
Despite the mixed reviews from the first game, the Bills organization as a whole seems to be happy with how things are going.
Speaking with the Associated Press, Bills president Pete Guelli said that "from a playability and safety perspective, everybody’s very happy."
"It’s Year 1. So, it’s a brand new field, and it’s going to take time for the foundation to build up," Guelli said. "So, some of the things people saw in the game, those will dissipate over time."
Guelli continued by saying that the stadium's grounds crew was aware that what happened on Saturday—divots and chunks of the grass being torn up—was always a possibility. He said that "as the field is maturing and the root system is setting, those things can happen."
"It was attended to quickly and the game was able to continue," Guelli said. "And we were comfortable with the performance after that."
The Bills returned to the grass at Highmark Stadium on Tuesday for an open practice in front of 41,000 fans on Tuesday morning. From there, the team will head to Cleveland for a pair of joint practices and a preseason game against the Browns.
They then have one more home preseason game on Thursday, August 27, against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
