Tony Romo’s Absence Opens a World of Possibilities for CBS

1. I was not shocked by Friday’s announcement that CBS had placed Tony Romo on indefinite leave following his July 23 drunk-driving arrest in Wisconsin. But I was stunned that CBS announced J.J. Watt would now join Jim Nantz.

I understand that Romo’s absence creates an opening, but I think it’s a mistake for CBS to break up the Watt-Ian Eagle team, even if it’s just for a few weeks. In addition, this move will affect multiple CBS crews because Eagle now needs a partner, which you would assume would come from in-house. Sources have told me that CBS has not yet made a decision on who to pair with Eagle.

I would’ve guessed that CBS would keep Eagle and Watt intact since they are so good together and just gone elsewhere for a temporary replacement to pair with Nantz.

But it seems, to me at least, Romo’s removal from the No. 1 booth may not be temporary. It’s pretty clear that CBS is using this whole mess as an opportunity to test out the Nantz-Watt pairing for the future.

And when it comes to Romo’s future with CBS, there is a A LOT to consider.

Given that CBS has moved Watt into the booth with Nantz, it’s safe to say they will call at least two games together: Week 1 on Sept 13 and Week 2 on Sept. 20. Romo’s court hearing in his OWI case will take place on Sept. 21.

If he’s cleared, would he be back with Nantz in Week 3 on Sept. 27 for the big Cowboys-Ravens matchup in Brazil? Maybe, maybe not.

CBS could go in several different directions. Even if Romo is cleared, CBS could still make the decision that he embarrassed the network and needs some sort of demotion. The network could keep Nantz and Watt as its No. 1 team if they’re working out well and move Romo to the No. 2 crew with Ian Eagle.

If Romo isn’t cleared, then CBS could use the morals clause in Romo’s contract to cut ties with him completely and get out of the $17-million-a-year contract that still has four years remaining on it.

Here’s the most fascinating twist of this saga. Let’s say CBS decides it wants to move on from Romo before his hearing and before the season begins. Greg Olsen reportedly has a clause in his contract with Fox that if he gets offered a No. 1 analyst job, he can leave.

The timing here could be dicey because the season starts in six weeks. But if something happens in the next couple of weeks to make CBS decide it doesn’t want to be in business anymore with Romo, it could offer Olsen its lead analyst role and pair him with Nantz, which would also let the company keep Eagle and Watt together.

There are so many possibilities with how CBS moves forward, with or without Romo.

2. The second game of the NFL season will take place on Thursday, Sept. 10 when the Niners face the Rams on Netflix. The streaming service announced on Monday that the game, which will be played in Australia, will be called by Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly.

Meanwhile, ESPN announced on Monday that Jason McCourty will now be part of its Monday NIght Countdown pregame show, filling the spot that opened up when the network laid off Ryan Clark.

3. There was a hilarious scene during Sunday’s Diamondbacks-Guardians game. Arizona’s Tim Tawa tried to bunt in the sixth inning while Cleveland pitcher Gavin Williams had a perfect game going. The Diamondbacks took issue with this and a skirmish broke out while the grounds crew was trying to put the tarp on the field because of heavy rain.

Guardians were pissed at the Dbacks after they tried to bunt and end Gavin Williams' perfect game

The benches ended up clearing in the pouring rain as the grounds crew tried to get the tarp on the field pic.twitter.com/Yn27HaqCnS
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 2, 2026

4. Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is an MVP candidate on the field and not exactly a genius off the field.

This has to be one of the worst takes I’ve ever heard in my life from a pro baseball player. What are we doing PCA? @KFidds come get your boy. pic.twitter.com/QRrY6u4QzY
— TomPaints (@tom_paints) August 2, 2026

5. Roman Reigns celebrated his win over Seth Rollins at SummerSlam on Sunday with a burger and fries. Sadly, the fries looked limp and soggy. You’d think the Tribal Chief could get some fresh fries for Pete’s sake!

6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with Mike Golic Sr. and Mike Golic Jr.

The father-and-son duo talk about their new ESPN radio show and explain how their return to ESPN came about, whether they said “yes” to this opportunity right away and whether they ever thought they’d be back at the Worldwide Leader.

Golic Sr. also discusses the surprising end to the Mike & Mike show, his relationship with Mike Greenberg and the public reaction to that show dissolving.

In addition, we talk about what it’s like to work with a relative, trying to keep up with technology, coffee issues and much more.

Following the Golics, Sal Licata from SNY TV and The Sal Licata Show joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss LeBron James signing with the Sixers, Major League Baseball’s horrible scheduling of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and bobblehead giveaways at stadiums. In addition, we answer a bunch of listener questions.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: The obvious play here today would be to feature a clip of Vincent Pastore, the actor who played Big Pussy on The Sopranos, after he passed away over the weekend. I’ve always thought, though, that the best scene involving the character was a scene he didn’t even appear in. This was as good as it gets from James Gandolfini.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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