The playing surface at FedEx Field drew criticism late last season for its poor quality toward the end of the regular season and for the Washington Redskins playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons both suffered ACL tears during their Wild Card playoff game and Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka suffered a strained calf that landed him on injured reserve following the game. All three injuries were potentially related to the conditions of the playing surface that was little more than painted sand in places.
Despite the conditions, Redskins general manager Bruce Allen says field turf is not an option for FedEx Field next season. Per Mike Jones of the Washington Post, Allen did acknowledge that the Redskins missed a chance to re-sod the field prior to their Week 10 bye and added they wouldn’t make that error again.
The league is already looking into raising the quality of the playing fields across the league. While the Redskins will be sticking with natural grass next season, if they can’t ensure that field will be in a decent condition for the entirety of their schedule they may have no choice but to invest in field turf in the future.