Bills Central

Bills officially install players' favorite upgrade in new Highmark Stadium

The Buffalo Bills delivered on their promise of an improved, safer playing surface for 2026
Ralph Ventre|
Bills' legend Thurman Thomas in the new Highmark Stadium
Bills' legend Thurman Thomas in the new Highmark Stadium | © Carhartt

In this story:

Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings

It's the long overdue moment that multiple prominent Buffalo Bills' players have been waiting for, including NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen.

Out of all the promised amenities that the new Highmark Stadium will deliver when it opens in time for the 2026 season, the most important, on multiple levels, is none other than the natural grass playing surface.

Football is a game that was born on a grass field. Then, there's the data-backed idea that natural surfaces are kinder to the competitors' bodies. For those reasons, and more, the NFLPA membership favors grass by a wide margin.

"We like grass," said Allen last month while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show. "I've got some turf burns on my legs that make me really like grass."

RELATED: Buffalo legend Thurman Thomas, Carhartt honor men and women of Bills' new stadium

While the Bills' weekly routine is pushed back one day due to the upcoming Monday Night Football appearance, the team shared photos from a milestone moment inside the developing stadium in Wednesday. The images, which are dated October 7, show the sod installation happening in Orchard Park.

In some of the photos, one can practically smell the beauty of the natural grass radiating through the air. It's likely to please starting right tackle Spencer Brown, who struggled with a back flare-up this past summer.

"I can't wait for grass. It's going to be awesome," said Brown this past summer on the Centered on Buffalo Podcast.

MORE: Bills' new stadium designed with world's largest heated roof to withstand snowfall

Manufacturer SCG Fields has employed a special grass growing technology - that includes a combination of hydronic heating, grow lights, sub-air technology, and irrigation - to create the new Highmark Stadium playing surface. The process has been said to have started about six months ago.

The Bills are currently one of 17 NFL teams who play their home games on a synthetic surface, but only for a few more months.

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI  —

More Buffalo Bills News:

Published
Ralph Ventre
RALPH VENTRE

Ralph, a former college football conference administrator, brings 20+ years of media experience to Buffalo Bills ON SI. Prior to focusing on the Bills, he spent two years covering the New York Jets. Ventre initially joined the ON SI family in 2021, providing NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for NFL Draft Bible on FanNation. Ventre remains as an official voter for the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the annual legacy awards. The Fordham University graduate is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.