Ross Tucker could be the answer to CBS Sports’ open analyst problem heading into the 2026 NFL season.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, appearing on the most recent episode of the SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina, said he thinks there’s “a pretty good chance” the network tabs Tucker to fill the open spot alongside Andrew Catalon in the fourth booth.
CBS finds itself in need of new personnel for its fourth broadcast booth after losing both of its analysts from last season. ESPN re-signed Jason McCourty to a new multi-year exclusive deal, pulling him out of the booth he shared with play-by-play man Andrew Catalon, analyst Charles Davis, and sideline reporter A.J. Ross. Davis, meanwhile, departed for college football full-time, taking over as CBS’s lead Big Ten analyst alongside Brad Nessler and Jenny Dell following Gary Danielson’s retirement.
Tucker has been a fixture in CBS’s NFL rotation since the 2023 season, regularly working alongside Tom McCarthy as part of the network’s sixth broadcast crew. He also calls college football for CBS and handles radio duties for Westwood One’s Thursday Night Football coverage, rotating with Devin McCourty alongside Kevin Kugler. The Princeton alum and former offensive lineman also hosts the Ross Tucker Football Podcast for DraftKings and calls Philadelphia Eagles preseason games on local television.
Logan Ryan, who spent last season working CBS games across both the NFL and college football and shadowed Jim Nantz and Tony Romo for an entire week ahead of the Patriots-Buccaneers game in November, remains another internal candidate worth watching. And if CBS opts to keep a three-man booth, Tucker and Ryan — who worked together as part of the same five-person crew in Week 1 last season alongside McCarthy and Tiffany Blackmon — could presumably fill both spots.