With the 2026 regular season coming up soon, Bill Cowher has teased a new strategy for CBS' top pregame show, "The NFL Today."
Cowher, a Super Bowl champion and legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach, has been part of "The NFL Today" for the past 19 years. While attending this week's CBS Sports Media Day, he revealed that his 20th season in the studio could look a bit different. As of now, the plan is for "The NFL Today" to embrace controversy.
"No, we’re gonna have dinner tonight, but you know, I think the biggest thing for us is we want to be more conversational. I think we’re gonna let this organically grow. I think that’s the best way teams happen. I think we try to fall into specific roles. It never works out. So I think we’ve all talked about the fact that we’re going to kind of get to know each other as the season goes along," Cowher told Awful Announcing. "That’ll be fun for the people who get to watch us grow as we go, under ourselves, amongst each other. So I try not to leave too much tape on the floor before we go in there and kind of like keep the things genuine, very generic, and more conversational and be authentic with who we are."
Cowher continued, "Now we’ve got a little bit more leeway to have back and forth conversations. So you kind of watch them grow before your eyes. I think that’s the greatest thing about social media, everything else we’ve seen. The platforms have changed, the shows have changed, and you get with the people, so it’s kind of like adapt and adjust, almost like a football [team]."
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NFL stars joining 'The NFL Today.'
Fans should once again expect to see James Brown and Nate Burleson's by Cowher's side for the upcoming NFL season. They've been a reliable trio for CBS.
That being said, CBS is also adding Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Long to "The NFL Today" crew.
"Throughout his career, Russell Wilson has been a winner, both on and off the field. We’re thrilled to add a Super Bowl champion and one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks to our roster. Russell’s preparation and leadership set him apart and we look forward to the perspective and insight he will bring to the studio straight from the field," CBS said in a statement. "Kyle brings an infectious energy, relentless passion and deep knowledge of the game and is not shy about sharing his opinions. He has earned this opportunity and we’re proud to elevate him to a full-time role on THE NFL TODAY. We’re excited for this new team at the desk to kick off NFL Sundays on CBS."
We'll see if "The NFL Today" kicks things into another gear this fall.
