Earlier on Friday, Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reported that NFL analyst Dan Fouts is being dumped by CBS, and New Orleans Saints quartertback Drew Brees is signing a contract to join NBC once he retires from the NFL. On Friday night, Marchand followed up to report that CBS has found their Fouts replacement in longtime Fox NFL analyst Charles Davis.
Marchand reports that “the contracts are not signed yet,” but there’s a verbal agreement between Davis and CBS.
CBS Sports is replacing its No. 2 NFL analyst with Fox’s No. 2, The Post has learned.
Sources said Charles Davis is moving from Fox to CBS to team with Ian Eagle on the network’s second team. There is a verbal agreement, but the contracts are not signed yet.
As Marchand wrote, Davis will join Ian Eagle on the “B” NFL announcing team on CBS. And with the network having been awarded an extra Wild Card Playoff game, it’s expected that Eagle and Davis will call that broadcast.
At Fox, Davis originally called college football and was paired with Thom Brennaman to call the Bowl Championship Series from 2007-09, and then later with Gus Johnson.
Fox moved Davis to the NFL in 2015, where he partnered with Kevin Burkhardt. They were assigned to call one NFC Divisional Playoff game every other year.
Davis has also been the analyst on the EA Sports ‘Madden NFL’ video game franchise since 2016.
So with one vacancy filled at CBS, it now leaves a hole at Fox. Could it be Jay Cutler? He was once signed by Fox and was expected to join Burkhardt and Davis. But before Cutler called a game, he left to join the Miami Dolphins.
With all this upheaval in NFL broadcasting in just a single day, one has to wonder if April is going to be the month for more media moves. There’s likely a move coming from ESPN on Monday Night Football, and Fox has to fill Davis’ vacancy. It may not all happen in one day like Friday, but one has to think the moves will happen sooner than later.
About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.