ESPN is reportedly on the verge of shuffling its backup NFL broadcast booth, according to a report by The Athletic. With the moves, Chris Fowler will depart the role of the play-by-play role, while Rich Eisen was reportedly not part of the discussions.
What We Know: ESPN is splitting its extra NFL game assignments as part of the acquisition of the NFL Network between Dave Pasch and Bob Wischusen. This would move Chris Fowler out of the NFL play-by-play role entirely. The network holds eight additional games outside Monday Night Football. Seven on the newly acquired NFL Network, including five international contests this fall. Those overseas games effectively made Fowler unavailable, given his college football commitments. Fowler’s former No. 2 booth partners, Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky, are also being repositioned within the network.
What Remains Unclear: ESPN is reportedly still weighing Jason Kelce as a game analyst. Though he likely won’t call every broadcast. Kurt Warner and Louis Riddick remain under consideration for select games. Warner was part of the NFL Network’s play by play team with Rich Eisen for several seasons. Meanwhile, Pasch’s official role hinges on ongoing contract negotiations, creating a slight delay. How conflicts with Pasch’s Arizona Cardinals and Wischusen’s New York Jets radio duties get resolved is also undetermined.
What It Means: The shifts should not come as a surprise. Fowler, Orlovsky and Riddick have all increased their roles within the company outside of being the #2 team for the NFL. This restructuring signals ESPN is aggressively attempting to build new voices toward its Super Bowl LVII broadcast on February 14, 2027 — its first ever. The addition of NFL Network games dramatically expanded the network’s NFL footprint, forcing real roster decisions.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
