J.J. Watt is moving up the ladder in his post-playing career, at least for the time being.
CBS Sports announced Friday, July 31 that Watt will take over as their lead NFL analyst while Tony Romo is on leave.
The broadcast company placed the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback on leave "until further notice" after he was arrested
for suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence on Thursday, July 23.Watt, 37, will join CBS Sports' top NFL crew – which also includes play-by-play man Jim Nantz in the broadcast booth and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson – to start the 2026 season. CBS Sports has not yet announced who will replace Watt on their No. 2 team, which features play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle and sideline reporter Evan Washburn.
Watt's promotion to lead CBS on NFL game analyst is especially notable given it comes just over one year after the network first announced he would join Eagle and the No. 2 broadcast team. The 12-year NFL veteran's CBS gig started in 2023, when he joined CBS Sports' "The NFL Today" as a studio analyst.
Prior to that, Watt had retired from his playing career following the 2022 season. Over 10 years with the Houston Texans, he accumulated five Pro Bowl nods, five first-team All-Pro honors and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. Watt played his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, recording 13.5 sacks in 23 games.
Here's what we know about the latest news in Watt's broadcasting career:
J.J. Watt broadcast history
In June 2023, six months after Watt's final game, CBS Sports announced that the three-time DPOY was joining the team as a studio analyst on "The NFL Today."
"I love the game too much to be away from it entirely. I'm very excited to be joining CBS Sports to contribute across all their NFL shows and platforms, including working alongside and learning from JB, Coach, Boomer, Phil and Nate this fall," Watt said in a statement at the time. "Hopefully fans will enjoy the insights and knowledge I've gained over my 12 years in the NFL and if we're lucky, we'll share a few laughs along the way as well."
CBS Sports announced that they were moving Watt from his studio analyst role to a game analyst gig on March 26, 2025. Since Watt was starting out as the No. 2 analyst behind Romo, he was paired with Eagle – who was named the National Sports Media Association's Sportscaster of the Year in 2024 – in the broadcast booth.
"There is nothing better than the energy and excitement of being in the stadium on game day in the NFL," Watt said in a March 2025 statement. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to return to that atmosphere each week, working with one of the best in Ian. While I certainly miss delivering hits on the field, it will be nice to leave the stadium without taking any, unless Ian decides to try something crazy."
Watt made his CBS debut during the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets Week 1 matchup and continued his weekly gig as a game analyst throughout the 2025 regular season. While he did not call any playoff games from the booth last year, Watt did join ESPN's "Manningcast" alternate broadcast with Peyton and Eli Manning during the Texans' wild-card game against the Steelers.
Reviews of J.J. Watt's broadcast work
Fans were impressed with Watt's broadcast debut. After Week 1, several users took to social media to compliment the former edge rusher for his analysis.
"So @JJWatt is really good in the booth," one person wrote.
"Just gonna call it. @JJWatt is far better than any player announcer to retire to the booth in a long time," another user said. "A lot of these dudes on Saturday need to also study him. No yelling/screaming. Just intelligent & at times humorous insight."
"J.J. Watt crushed it today," ESPN radio host Jake Asman said. "Sharp, entertaining, and not the slightest bit of a homer. CBS putting him with Ian Eagle was a masterstroke. That's an elite broadcast team."
"Might be the best color commentator already," former Steeler and two-time Super Bowl champion Trai Essex wrote. "No exaggeration. Called an excellent game today."
Outside of social media, The Athletic's Richard Deitsch wrote a glowing review of Watt's performance on the mic during a Texans-Jaguars game last November. Deitsch pointed out how the former pass-rusher leaned more heavily on analysis of defensive performance than other broadcasters.
Acknowledging that Watt was still a "work-in-progress" in color commentary and pointing to areas of improvement – "Watt would be aided long-term by being more assertive on penalty calls." – Deitsch concluded by writing that Watt could have a long career as a broadcaster.
"Watt is just 36 years old," Deitsch wrote. "We may be hearing his perspective for some time."
Watt analyzed his own performance as a broadcaster in a July 28 episode of the "Ross Tucker Football Podcast" with his fellow "NFL on CBS" analyst. After getting over some initial self-skepticism when he first took the job, Watt said he grew to love the experience as a broadcaster and is looking forward to making improvements in 2026.
"I also had plenty that I learned and now can't wait to implement in Year 2," Watt said. "It's not dissimilar to being a player where you go back, you study what you did well and what you didn't do well and you have so much more you want to work on."
When is J.J. Watt's first game with Jim Nantz?
Watt will call his first game with Nantz during the afternoon slate on Sunday, Sept. 13 for Week 1 of the NFL season. While the full broadcaster lineup for Week 1 is still to be announced, the No. 1 CBS crew will likely call the Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers divisional rivalry game that starts at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Another possibility is the Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans game in the 1 p.m. ET slate, given Watt's history with the Texans.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: J.J. Watt set for top CBS gig in Tony Romo's absence. What to know
