A joint committee put together by the NFL and NFL Players Association found that the incidence of lower body injuries was about the same on turf fields as it was on grass fields during the 2023 season.
There has been a push to get rid of turf fields in recent years because of the toll they take on players, but the committee found that the rate of injuries that occur in the lower extremities without contact from another player was 0.001 higher per 100 plays on turf than it was on grass. That led NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller to say that there is a “need to look at all surfaces” in order to cut down on injuries.
The NFLPA gave a statement to ESPN saying that the 2023 data did not change its belief that grass surfaces are better for players than turf.
“As we have said repeatedly, injury data in a one-year time capsule does not account for what we have known since we started tracking these injuries: that a well-maintained, consistent grass surface is still simply safer for players than any synthetic field,” the statement said. “The story of last year’s injury data is that, unfortunately, injury rates on grass have increased from last year. The data cannot, however, account for what players have shared with the NFL for years: that we feel much worse after playing on synthetic surfaces and overwhelmingly prefer consistent, high-quality grass fields. This year’s injury data also does not explain how quick they are to flip NFL stadium surfaces from bad synthetic to better grass for international soccer friendlies and tournaments.”
There was an overall drop in missed games due to injury of about 700 from 2022 to 2023 and the league’s numbers say that’s largely due to a drop in lower-extremity injuries across the board. Credit for that drop was given to changes in the way teams work in the spring and during training camp, but they are unlikely to put an end to debate about the best playing surfaces for NFL games moving forward.