Changes are coming to the radio booth in Cleveland. Mary Kay Cabot reports in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Nathan Zegura will move from the sidelines to the booth as the new color analyst for Browns radio broadcasts. He replaces Doug Dieken, who retired at the end of the 2021 season.
Je’Rod Cherry will join the crew. He replaces Zegura on the sidelines. He was a second round pick by the Saints in 1996. While he never played for the Browns during his nine-year NFL career, Clevelanders know him as part of the afternoon drive duo on ESPN Cleveland.
“He brings a lot of energy and an unbelievable appetite for the game,” Jim Donovan said of his new booth broadcast partner, Zegura, “He’s constantly loving being able to learn about the game, and he does that through a lot of study. I know he’s going to be impeccably prepared every week, and that really helps us on the broadcast.”
Donovan is entering his 24th season calling Browns games. He added that he is a fan of Cherry and is happy to add him to the broadcast as well.
“I’ve always loved listening to Jerod when I would get in my car after a game at FirstEnergy Stadium and listen to him on the postgame show. I thought he’d do a great job of breaking down what happened that afternoon, and he’ll really give us a player’s perspective as well as be the eyes and ears of what’s going on on the sideline.”
Former Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas at one point expressed interest in the analyst role. He told Cabot the team did reach out to him.
“Yeah, I talked to Doug, I talked to people in Cleveland, and I said that would be my dream job,’’ Thomas said. “Unfortunately, it happens 20 weekends a year in a row and with little kids, that’s kind of the time you get to see them because they go to school during the week. And so I know that I would never be able to commit to a full schedule right now when my kids are young.”
