On Sunday, after two years of learning how to be a broadcaster, J.J. Watt was sitting next to Jim Nantz. And Nantz didn’t just let Watt talk about what everyone could see. He asked him what he was watching with Kyler Murray, and Watt immediately went into detail about Murray facing his former head coach, Jonathan Gannon. You could credit Tony Romo for bringing this opportunity to Watt—in a way—but CBS had also been building toward it since 2023.

Watt joined CBS that year as a studio analyst on The NFL Today. In 2025, the network moved him into the booth alongside Ian Eagle on its No. 2 team, giving him a full season to learn the pace and demands of calling games. CBS Sports president David Berson had already praised Watt’s grasp of television and social media when the network made that move. Now, CBS has given Watt another test.

As per Mike Florio, the network announced Monday that Watt will remain alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson for both Week 2’s Steelers-Patriots matchup and Week 3’s Cowboys-Ravens game in Brazil. More than that, he also shared how what was initially a stopgap for Romo could have consequences beyond the next two Sundays.

“Most believe Romo won’t return this year. Many believe he’ll never be back, with only a buyout to be negotiated,” Florio wrote.

And maybe it’s all because Watt gave CBS something it had not expected to have to evaluate this early: a viable alternative to Romo. His first game with Nantz was not perfect. The two did not yet have the chemistry Watt had built with Ian Eagle, and his more measured delivery lacked some of the entertainment that has long been part of Romo’s appeal. But the substance was there.

Watt was especially sharp when the game moved into the trenches. He broke down defensive designs, explained where line protections were failing and stayed on top of several questionable defensive penalties late in the game. On Justin Jefferson’s 39-yard touchdown, he immediately recognized the free play after Green Bay jumped offsides and urged Carson Wentz to take the shot. That is also where Watt brings something different to CBS’s top booth.

For years, the biggest NFL broadcasts have leaned heavily on former quarterbacks as lead analysts, from Troy Aikman and Phil Simms to Romo and Tom Brady. Watt comes from the other side of the ball, and his value is in explaining what the defense is trying to take away before the quarterback even makes his decision. That distinction showed up early against Green Bay. 

When Nantz asked Watt what he was watching with Murray, Watt went straight to the relationship between the quarterback and Gannon, then watched that matchup play out when Gannon sent pressure. One snap later, Murray threw into double coverage and was intercepted by Keisean Nixon.

“Jim, we wondered about the chess match between Gannon and Murray,” Watt said. “Gannon decided to send everybody in. Kyler Murray with a panic throw.”

And so, keeping Watt with Nantz through Week 3 gives the network more time to assess whether this can work beyond a temporary replacement.

It also gives Watt two very different stages. First comes Pittsburgh-New England, with his brother T.J. Watt on the Steelers’ defense. Then comes Dallas-Baltimore in Brazil, a Cowboys game involving the franchise where Romo spent his entire 13-year playing career.

What happens after that remains tied to Romo’s unresolved status. CBS placed Romo on leave “until further notice” after his July arrest in Wisconsin, and the network has not provided a timetable for his return. Even after Romo pleaded no contest to the OWI charge and publicly addressed his health and his intention to return to CBS, the network declined to add anything beyond its previous statement.

That leaves CBS with two very different possibilities. It could eventually bring Romo back and return Watt to his previous role, or it could decide that the experiment it never planned for has given it another viable No. 1 analyst. For now, the network is continuing with the latter.