CBS Sports NFL TODAY plates in the CBS Broadcast Center Sean McManus Studio 43 on August 28, 2024. CBS Sports NFL TODAY plates in the CBS Broadcast Center Sean McManus Studio 43 on August 28, 2024. (Mary Kouw/CBS.)
CBSNFLOriginalsBy Andrew Bucholtz on

CBS’ The NFL Today pregame show was long notable for its year-over-year consistency, with host James Brown and analyst Boomer Esiason there since 2006, analyst Bill Cowher joining the next year, and Phil Simms and Nate Burleson coming in in 2017. Since that year, the only changes before 2024 saw JJ Watt joining in a part-time role last year and Jonathan Jones replacing Jason La Canfora as the program’s insider in 2022. But this year has seen a dramatic overhaul of the show, and that’s also been accompanied by notable changes to their studio.

This offseason, the famed program brought in Matt Ryan (who was a NFL on CBS game analyst last season) and added Watt on a full-time basis, parting ways with Esiason and Simms in the process. They also revamped their studio, which is now named Sean McManus Studio 43 in order of the former CBS Sports chair, who retired after this year’s Masters following a since-1996 run leading the division.

Recently, CBS Sports’ Harold Bryant (executive producer and executive vice president, production), Greg Coppa (vice president, studio engineering and technology), JP Lomonaco (vice president, graphics and design) and Bob Matina (director, The NFL Today) spoke to AA via Zoom about their cast and studio changes. To start with, Matina mentioned that the new-look studio features more open space thanks to a couple of alterations.

“We kind of changed the orientation of things in the studio. In terms of staging, we’ve actually taken our desk and turned it into a corner, which has opened up another wall for us to do things. We like to move our talent around during the body of the show, and it’s given us the opportunity to do that.”

Matina also mentioned a balcony removal as key to creating that space.

“The old set had a balcony with vertical columns, supports, that now is gone. The look is totally new since those columns are gone, we’ve created more space on the floor, and I think we’re going to have the illusion of having more space in the studio than we did.”

Lomonaco said the balcony removal was key to their goal of making the set feel fresher and roomier.

“The big push here was to try and make the set a bit more contemporary, clean up the lines of the set. And I think that balcony was the focal point of the old set; pulling that out just brought in more room. Now we’ve got a set that feels spacious and affords a lot of versatility of shots and setups.”

Coppa said on the technological side, they’ve also overhauled their lighting, which allows for more shots in those different parts of the set.

“We’ve provided production with a lot of flexibility in the new studio. One piece of that is we rebuilt the lighting grid with all-LED lights. That helps our sustainability cause and also gives the lighting team greater flexibility in lighting the standup set that [Matina] wants to use.”

Bryant said this offseason was the right time to do this, with this also accompanying those cast changes.

“It’s got a more modern approach but still hanging on to the warmth and coziness our studio brings. It’s definitely an evolution. And it goes right along with the show. As we advance the show, grow the show, change the show, we felt this was the time to address the look in the studio, the brand, and work that in to match what we’re doing, and, along those lines, work in the new technology. That’s helped change the set feel of it as well.”

Bryant has been with CBS since 1997, starting as a feature producer and associate producer and working his way up to his current title in 2020. He worked closely with McManus throughout that time, and said he’s thrilled to get the chance to honor the past CBS Sports leader with this studio name change.

“It’s just a very special moment and feeling. It’s a very special honor to be able to name it after someone that’s meant so much to CBS Sports, guiding us through and bringing the NFL back and elevating the CBS brand to where it’s at today. He was the guiding force. He was a great leader, still is, but was when he was with us, and it’s just an honor to be able to call this Sean McManus Studio 43. We’ll lean into that, and it’s well-earned and deserved.”

The new Sean McManus Studio 43, home of CBS' "The NFL Today."
The new Sean McManus Studio 43, home of CBS’ “The NFL Today.” (Mary Kouw/CBS.)

As for the cast changes, Bryant said the new cast stands out for being relatable to both players and fans.

Harold: “We feel terrific about the current version. It’s connected with the players on the field and with the fans. It’s a fun group, and we’ve emphasized that so much. It’s the kind of group you want to go sit at a sports bar with and watch a game and have a meal with. It’s a group that connects with the players and with the audience, and with the audience on multiple platforms, not just on our broadcast platform. We’re very pleased with the lineup we have and the growth and evolution we’re going to see with this lineup as well.”

Matina said this latest evolution is a good fit for the show, with Burleson proving to be a notable part of it in his since-2017 work, Watt bringing great moments in a part-time role last year, and Ryan an exciting new addition.

“I’ve been doing the show for a long time, so I’ve seen a lot of cast changes as the show has evolved. And I’m certainly going to miss Boomer and Phil on the show; they were terrific, and they contributed in so many ways, and were just great teammates for us. But I’m also very excited to have Matt Ryan as a new face on our show, and JJ, who was with us last year for a bunch of shows. They’re both terrific, and they’re both invested, and they’re going to be great. [And Nate] has been a spectacular add for us.”

Ryan comes in from an interesting perspective, joining after a year of doing game analyst work for CBS rather than coming straight from playing. Matina said it’s positive that he has that TV experience, but the studio analyst role is quite different.

“It’s still a new experience for him. It’s the same knowledge set, but it’s how you deliver it. So he’s going to learn every time he’s in there.”

Matina said they don’t expect much of a learning curve for Ryan, though. And he added that the chemistry Ryan’s already built with this team will fit with what CBS is trying to accomplish here.

“We think it’s going to be very smooth. We’ve seen him in there, and he has such great chemistry with this group, and that’s what we’re focused on. We’re focused on the chemistry as opposed to years ago when the tradition was ‘Hey, let’s square up and speak to the camera.’ Now, it’s like ‘Have a conversation, and get to the core of the topic, give us that insight that you wouldn’t have unless you were on the field or in the locker room or in the conversation with the coaches.’

“And Matt has a very dry sense of humor, but it gets to the point. And he’s also got an incredible depth of knowledge about the game. He’s going to be a great add.”

Burleson stands out as one of CBS’ most versatile presences, also co-hosting their CBS Mornings news show, hosting Hollywood Squares, and working on their NFL on Nickelodeon alternate broadcasts (including at this year’s Super Bowl) and weekly NFL Slimetime series. Bryant said that’s a remarkable skillset, and it speaks to Burleson’s value to overall parent company Paramount Global.

“He’s very unique in that sense. He can contribute also in the news category, on the sports side of things, at Nickelodeon. He’s just a unique individual and talent.”

Bryant said Burleson’s commitment to continual improvement is also notable, especially with so many things on his plate.

“He doesn’t rest on his skills, he’s always trying to improve. He welcomes feedback, he welcomes input, he’s open to ideas and trying new things. I think that’s what makes him so good. And he just works so hard.”

Bryant said he’s impressed that Burleson can juggle all that.

“Sometimes I don’t know how he keeps it all straight. I’ll watch him on a morning news show and they’re dealing with political topics, and then all of a sudden, he’s dealing with long bombs down the sideline. He’s just got to make sure he keeps those two separate, but he does an incredible job with it.”

Matina said he thinks the cast they have will be a great fit together, and will only grow stronger over time as they figure out how to maximize each member, including veterans Brown and Cowher.

“I think the show is an evolving show. We have a different cast: you mentioned Matt coming in and learning the role, but when someone comes in, we end up learning about them too, and where their wheelhouse might be or what their strength might be or what they like to do. And we need to be able to feed that to them.

“So we have JJ, who’s relatively new to us, we’ve got Matt, who’s brand-new to the show, we’ve got Nate, who’s been a recent addition to the show, and the evolution is to understand what those guys can do, what their strengths are, and feed into that. And I think that’s what you’re going to see us do this fall is give the new guys some more things and still have the wisdom and experience of a Super Bowl-winning coach on board, and our host, who is a Hall of Famer.”

Bryant added that Cowher and Brown fit in well with the new group, and they’ll bring some different things this year as well.

“I see both of them being energized as well. They’re excited about the changes. And again, as Bob said, we tip our hats to Boomer and Phil for all they did, but everybody’s excited about the new opportunities to try new things, and you’ll see more from them as well.”

The NFL Today airs each Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

View all posts by Andrew Bucholtz