​October 1, 2023: J.J. Watt speaks to the crowd during his induction into the Houston Texans Ring of Honor during a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans in Houston, TX. .. /CSM USA – ZUMAc04_ 20231001_zma_c04_278 Copyright: xTraskxSmithx ©IMAGO/ZUMA WireJ.J. Watt didn’t expect to land in CBS Sports’ No. 1 NFL booth this way, after Tony Romo’s arrest, but the clock on proving himself is already ticking. Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner laid out how tight that window actually is during a recent episode of “The Play-By-Play LIVE,” and that Greg Olsen, a potential replacement for Watt in the No. 1 booth, is already in the wings.Lerner argued that Watt’s temporary promotion to CBS’s top NFL broadcast team in place of Tony Romo is really a season-long audition, one with a seeming deadline attached.“I think Greg Olsen is nearly guaranteed a top analyst job at this point, be that at Amazon or at CBS next year. I really think right now we look at the CBS job and it’s JJ Watt’s to lose,” Lerner said on the podcast. “So he has 17 more games, 17 more weeks to prove that he can be a good partner with Jim Nantz, that he can be a top guy.”Lerner highlighted that CBS has the broadcasting rights for the 2028 Super Bowl, so the American media giant won’t wait around too long for Watt to develop into the role.J.J. Watt’s got a whole season to prove himself in the CBS booth. Stay tuned to see how it plays out. Subscribe for more interesting stories.“I think they have to show signs of improvement throughout this year for CBS to be confident that that team could call a Super Bowl next year,” added Lerner. “If not, they might make a pretty strong play for Olsen because I think Olsen’s a guy you can plug and play and be very safe to know that he can call a Super Bowl confidently.”Watt landed in this spot because of circumstances entirely outside his control. Longtime CBS lead analyst Tony Romo was arrested in Wisconsin in July on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, with police reportedly finding an open bottle of alcohol in his car.CBS placed Romo on indefinite leave shortly afterward, and while Romo said in a September 1 statement that he plans to focus on his health, family, and “in time, my return to CBS,” the network has given no firm timeline for when that return might happen.That left CBS’s No. 1 broadcast booth open, and Watt, who had spent just one prior season calling games alongside Ian Eagle after moving over from the “NFL Today” studio desk, was elevated to pair with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson instead. Watt addressed the unusual circumstances directly during CBS’s annual NFL Media Day event in August, making clear he wasn’t taking the moment lightly.“I’m so excited,” Watt told Front Office Sports. “A three-time Emmy winner. You’ve got a Hall of Famer. It’s an opportunity for me to work with the absolute best of the best at the highest level in the busine