The Cleveland Browns are currently in the process of building a new stadium. They recently announced a major change to their playing field when their new home opens, switching from grass to turf. This decision has been met with a ton of backlash around the NFL.
What Are NFL Fans Saying About Browns Announcing New Turf Stadium?
The Browns currently play their home games on grass, but this will no longer be the case once their new stadium is completed and they move into the new building, which will cost $2.6 billion. They will then play on an artificial turf surface, and many in the NFL made their disapproval of the decision known.
“Building a multi-billion dollar stadium and putting turf in it is like buying a brand new Mercedes and slapping used, (expletive) tires on the thing. Gross decision,” said Browns podcaster Nick Karns.
Many of those critical of the announcement are much more in favor of them keeping a grass surface as they have now. Some were surprised by the change.
“This is disappointing,” replied Cleveland media’s Noah Olson.
This is disappointing https://t.co/Ii8tRPXxwb
— Noah Olson (@Noaholson77) August 3, 2026
Others weren’t as surprised, though they were still frustrated with the outcome. Several speculated on the intentions of the Browns’ ownership, including Jimmy Haslam.
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“Knew it was coming… Won’t shell out the money to ensure the safest playing surface,” stated Mac of Dawg Pound Daily.
New it was coming- the Browns organization never cared about the health and safety of their players
Check out the report cards for the past two years
“We want to win” yet won’t shell out the money to ensure the safest playing surface for the players pic.twitter.com/tCon0tTVLA
— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) August 3, 2026
Adding to the poor report on the Browns’ overall facilities, many in the NFL world blamed the Haslams. Some even called them outright cheap for removing the grass surface.
“The Haslams are building a $4 billion stadium (actual cost is $2.6 billion) yet they’re skimping on real grass and opting for artificial turf,” explained Roberto Shenanigans.
The Haslams are building a $4 billion stadium yet they’re skimping on real grass and opting for artificial turf.
They just can’t get out of their own damn way https://t.co/g1Ng5dhfaC
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) August 3, 2026
Fans and those who follow Cleveland also pointed out that grass fields have traditionally been safer than turf surfaces. This raised some concerns about the players’ outlook.
“This is dumb and so many unnecessary (expletive) injuries to come,” mentioned one fan.
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As a whole, the reaction to the announcement has earned the Browns a majority of criticism. The struggling franchise is unfortunately building a reputation for making the perceived “wrong” decisions.
“Another failure from the Browns and their supposed braintrust,” exclaimed another fan.
Another failure from the @Browns and their supposed braintrust @JDubsIII.
— Linus74 (@PenCapChew27) August 3, 2026
The new stadium isn’t set to officially open until the projected start of the 2029 NFL season. This means they will have a few more years on grass at home in their outdoor environments before turf in a dome becomes their new structure.
The franchise has plenty of other things to worry about before that happens, including figuring out its quarterback situation.
New head coach Todd Monken will have his hands full with Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson in a polarizing battle for the starting job. Watson missed last season with a major Achilles injury, while Sanders finished second-worst among all quarterbacks in PFN’s QB Impact Rankings during his rookie year.
