Ian Eagle wasn’t asked for input when J.J. Watt got added to the NFL on CBS No. 2 booth.
But judging by their early text exchanges and their Netflix Christmas Day debut (alongside Nate Burleson), maybe Eagle didn’t need a vote. Eagle and Charles Davis had ranked No. 5 in Awful Announcing’s 2024 NFL announcing rankings, while this new trio — plus Burleson — came in at 10th.
There’s a common thread here. And it might just be his new partner.
“One of the main reasons I’m so excited to do it is because I’m with Ian Eagle,” Watt said during the NFL on CBS Media Day earlier this week, per Sports Media Watch’s Derek Futterman. “Our chemistry has been great. We’re really looking forward to getting in the booth, having a lot of fun together, explaining the game, but also doing it in a fun, enjoyable way that hopefully comes through for the fans.”
The two have been going back and forth via text all offseason, figuring out each other’s sense of humor and working on that chemistry. Eagle has called NFL games for CBS for 27 years and, according to SMW, he’s been impressed with Watt’s football acumen and preparation, both of which are critical now that Davis is out of the picture.
Davis will eventually replace Gary Danielson on CBS’s coverage of the Big Ten, alongside Brad Nessler. But that won’t happen until after this season. The NFL on CBS made way for Watt anyway, who initially was reportedly looking for a part-time TV gig, hence the studio role last year. But he clearly had his eye on booth work, and CBS wasn’t going to waste time getting him paired with Eagle. Davis, meanwhile, slides over to join Andrew Catalon and Jason McCourty, replacing the departing Tiki Barber.
Watt’s keeping things simple for now. He’s focused on this season, getting back in stadiums, and seeing how the booth thing plays out.
“He’s a talent, he’s going to do very well, and he doesn’t mind expressing an opinion that he honestly feels and holds that may be contrary to popular opinion and the like,” CBS veteran James Brown said of the former Houston Texans defensive end. “But he will cause you to think, and certainly looking at what he has done at the NFL level and prior to, [he’s] one of the all-time greats. He’s going to be okay.”
CBS took a gamble pairing these two without running it by Eagle first. But between Watt’s willingness to say what he thinks and Eagle’s steady hand, they might have hit on something good. Their initial run on Christmas Day showed promise. Now, we’ll see if it holds up over a full NFL season.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.