The Houston Texans are entering the 2026 campaign with some heightened expectations. While there are questions surrounding C.J. Stroud after his abysmal playoff performance against the New England Patriots last season, the Texans still boast the best defense in the league, so if the offense can just stay above water, this team should be a serious threat out of the AFC.
Many folks will be keeping close tabs on Houston, and that includes franchise legend J.J. Watt. While Watt has begun working with CBS Sports as a color commentator for NFL games, he has continued to follow the Texans in their attempt to find their way to the Super Bowl. On Friday, though, Watt received some big career news regarding his work in the world of sports media.
J.J. Watt Earns Unexpected Promotion with CBS Sports
During his 10-season stint with the Texans, Watt was the most dominant defensive player in the league. While injuries ultimately ended up hampering him, Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards over a four-season stretch from 2012-2015, before putting together a comeback campaign in 2018.
Since retiring, Watt has transitioned into sports media, working as a color commentator for CBS Sports. Last season, Watt was assigned to CBS Sports’ No. 2 broadcast team, which paired him with Ian Eagle, and for the most part, the duo received high praise from fans throughout their first year together.
On Friday, CBS Sports announced that Tony Romo, who worked with Jim Nantz on the No. 1 broadcast team, would be placed on a leave of absence after he was recently arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. With an opening on the top broadcast team alongside Nantz, CBS Sports quickly announced that Watt would be promoted to replace Romo for the time being.
“A statement from CBS Sports on analyst Tony Romo: ‘Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,’” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared in a post on X. “‘JJ Watt will join Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sports’ lead NFL team during Tony Romo’s absence. We will release the remainder of our NFL ON CBS roster at a later date.’”
J.J. Watt Gets Big Break in Sports Media Career
GettyHouston Texans icon J.J. Watt is stepping into another new arena.
More and more former players have been finding roles in sports media after retiring, but Watt has managed to move up the ranks faster than virtually any of his counterparts. Romo may be the only exception, but his inability to stay out of trouble has cost him his job alongside Nantz for the time being, with Watt set to step up to the plate for the time being.
Romo could conceivably return at some point in the 2026 campaign, but for now, Watt is going to have an opportunity to make this gig his own. Excitement was already high among Texans fans for the new season, but now they may get an opportunity to hear Watt’s thoughts on their play throughout the year if he ends up being assigned to some of their most important contests.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Texans Legend J.J. Watt Gets Major Career Update After Tony Romo News appeared first on HEAVY.