Jim Nantz-JJ Watt flaw spotted as CBS deals with life after Tony Romo
Jim Nantz-JJ Watt flaw spotted as CBS deals with life after Tony Romo
David SchneidmanSun, October 4, 2026 at 11:21 PM UTC
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Jim Nantz has a new broadcast partner this NFL season in JJ Watt -Credit:Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Paramount
Jim Nantz and JJ Watt are still working on their chemistry in their first season calling NFL games together for CBS.
Legendary sports play-by-play announcer Nantz has a new broadcast partner in Watt, who replaced Tony Romo shortly before the 2026 NFL season after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was arrested for operating while intoxicated in July 2026 and subsequently placed on leave.
There was a belief that Romo would return to the CBS broadcast booth sometime this season, but the network announced on Friday it had “mutually agreed” to part ways with him, leaving Watt as Nantz’s new permanent partner.
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On Sunday evening, Nantz and Watt were on the call for the Kansas City Chiefs’ trip to face the Las Vegas Raiders when The Athletic’s sports media writer Andrew Marchand noted a flaw in their delivery.
“When explaining 12 and 13 personnel, JJ Watt should simplify it more and Jim Nantz should lead him places so the average fan understands what that means,” Marchand wrote on X. “Kevin Burkhardt did this very well with Tom Brady on the early games as Brady was explaining some technical aspects.”
Marchand is highlighting a key role that play-by-play announcers have when they partner with ex-professional athletes, such as Watt, who are experts in the sport they are calling.
Watt joined CBS in 2023 after playing 12 NFL seasons -Credit:Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
In this instance, Watt was speaking about 12 and 13 personnel, a numerical code which signifies how many running backs and tight ends are on the field for a given play.
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While common lexicon for football players and coaches, many NFL fans watching from home may not know what those terms mean, and Marchand, a well-respected sports media critic, felt that Watt should have explained their definitions.
Because Watt is only in his fourth season as a broadcaster, Marchand put the onus on Nantz to set him up with a question.
As is the case with any broadcast team, time together both on and off the air is the only way to develop chemistry. In Week 4, Nantz and Watt were only calling their fourth game together, something neither envisioned throughout the summer when Romo was still with CBS.
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Following Romo’s arrest, CBS was forced to make changes to their broadcast teams, so they shifted Watt from the network’s No. 2 team, where he worked with play-by-play voice Ian Eagle, to the No. 1 team alongside Nantz, who has worked for the network since 1985.
Because Nantz and Watt call CBS’ biggest game of the week every Sunday, there are plenty of eyes and ears on them as they continue to work out the kinks.
Nothing glaring has popped up, and the general sentiment is they have done well together given the circumstances.
But they have a long way to go to get to the level of other broadcast teams around the league, which Nantz and Romo certainly achieved during their nine seasons together.
Source: “AOL Sports”
