FS1 has added another NFL figure to their lineup of debate show guests. That would be Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, who played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons from 1983-1993. Fox Sports sent out a release announcing the move Monday; here are some details and quotes from that.
With the NFL regular season set to kick-off in a few short weeks, FOX Sports adds Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson to its impressive roster. Dickerson joins the network as an FS1 NFL analyst, contributing to a number of the network’s daily studio show offerings.
…“We couldn’t be more excited to add Eric’s voice to our programming slate,” said Whit Albohm, Vice President, Daily Studio Production for FS1. “His incredible passion for the game and intimate understanding of the NFL make him a great addition to FS1.”
…“I‘m thrilled to join the team at FS1,” said Dickerson. “I couldn’t be more excited to discuss a league that gave so much to me alongside some of the industry’s best analysts.”
Dickerson made his FS1 debut on Undisputed Monday, talking about the Dallas Cowboys, which fits right in with that show’s constant Cowboys’ discussion:
New FS1 NFL analyst @EricDickerson on how the Cowboys will cope without Zeke:
"Dak Prescott can show, 'this is my team…it wasn't a fluke.'" pic.twitter.com/IYjKFJ0o1m
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) August 21, 2017
Dickerson joins a long list of FS1-specific NFL analysts. Their current group of bios includes Greg Jennings and Shawne Merriman, and Ray Lewis officially came on board in June, but doesn’t have a bio there (unless his new Showtime work has led to him leaving Fox?). Cris Carter joined in that role, too, even though he’s now preparing to be the cohost of First Things First. And there are plenty of others who have been listed as FS1 NFL analysts in the past, but may or may not still be there, including Eric Mangini and Fox Sports Live panel vet (and the only non-Charissa Thompson person in this photo still at Fox) Ephraim Salaam (whose Twitter bio still says he’s at FS1, but he seems to be doing mostly Fox Sports Radio work these days). Some others have left, including Michael Lombardi (for The Ringer). And that’s to say nothing of the many analysts who have a role on Fox’s game-day coverage but also show up on FS1 shows, including Mark Schlereth, Charles Davis and Ronde Barber.
The concept of “FS1 NFL analyst” is an interesting one, and it’s hard to track who’s actually in it thanks to the nature of the role, which is essentially “show up as a guest on our various daytime shows and debate things.” FS1 has plenty of guests they don’t employ on those shows too (Dickerson has apeared in that role before), so this is just a more regular guest. But it’s notable that they want people just for this “FS1 NFL analyst” role, beyond the people they already employ to do game commentary or pre-game work on Sunday NFL coverage. And it will be interesting to see how many appearances Dickerson makes, and how regularly they use him. And on which shows? Undisputed debates the Cowboys and other NFL topics, The Herd does some of the same but in more of an interview format, and Speak For Yourself brings plenty of off-field discussion into the equation. We’ll see where Dickerson slots in, and if he’ll be able to stand out in the FS1 analyst crowd.
