CBS is starting the search for Matt Ryan’s replacement early.
The network announced on Wednesday that current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and CBS NFL analyst Kyle Long would be joining The NFL Today studio show for the remainder of the postseason. CBS will air two more games this season, a Divisional Round game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos on Saturday afternoon, and the AFC Championship Game the following Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Kyle Long and Kirk Cousins will join THE NFL TODAY for CBS Sports’ postseason coverage alongside JB, Coach and Nate.
📅Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3:30 PM ET (Divisional)
📅Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1:00 PM ET (On-Site at the AFC Championship) pic.twitter.com/cdpX4oQ9B6
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) January 14, 2026
Late last week, Matt Ryan announced he would be leaving his spot on The NFL Today to take the president of football job for the Atlanta Falcons. The former Falcons quarterback bid farewell to the program on Sunday, with CBS opting to use only Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, and host James Brown after Ryan’s goodbye during the pregame show.
In Week 18, Kyle Long made his debut in an NFL booth, calling Raiders-Chiefs after Trent Green’s absence forced CBS to shuffle some of its broadcasting teams around. Long has served as a studio analyst for The NFL Today+ this season, and worked on the now-defunct That Other Pregame Show for CBS Sports Network prior to that.
Kirk Cousins, on the other hand, has a bit of media experience himself, despite still being an active player. Last year, Cousins gave a strong performance on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown during a Divisional Round game between the Texans and Chiefs. He is an especially familiar face to fans now that he has participated in two seasons of the Netflix show Quarterback.
The timing of Ryan’s departure is handy for CBS, which now gets to try out a couple of new voices in his spot before the current season ends.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.