ARLINGTON, Texas — As AT&T Stadium's retractable roof opened before Monday's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, a sheet of metal fell from the venue's rafters.
The debris landed on the field near the Monday Night Football set, narrowly missing two people who appeared to be production crewmembers. No one was injured.
The Dallas Cowboys have not played a home game under an open roof since October 30, 2022. To ensure players and fans were safe, the organization closed the roof before kickoff Monday night.
"We had a lot of wind gusts in this area," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game Monday. "Apparently, that created some looseness up there. When we did try to open [the roof] up, the wind got in there and exacerbated the looseness."
A second sheet of metal fell into the stadium's catwalk. A worker bolted the debris to the stadium's rafters during pregame warmups.
Houston Texans staff moved players away from the end zone while the worker was above them.
Jones said, by protocol, the stadium's roof opens hours before kickoff so staff can ensure there are no problems before fans and players enter. He acknowledged the risk to people on the field at the time but was adamant the roof's closure mitigated further harm.
"They wouldn't have done this game or started this game had there been any risk at all," Jones said. "Not the only the NFL wouldn't, but I wouldn't."
A team spokesperson Tuesday told WFAA the metal sheets are lids, meant to cover trays of cables near the top of the stadium. Wind gusts shifted the trays as the roof opened, knocking off the lids.
A city of Arlington building inspector and a fire marshal Tuesday determined there are no structural problems with the venue or its roof, a team spokesperson said. Stadium staff also took steps Tuesday to secure other cable tray covers.
If it chooses to, the team could open its retractable roof again this season, the spokesperson added.
Workers began refreshing AT&T Stadium's interior in January, according to state licensing documents. The Cowboys plan to spend more than $350 million on the venue before it hosts 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
The renovations will not dramatically alter the stadium's appearance or "feel," the organization says.