Tom Brady’s career as a commentator will involve America’s Team.
Fox announced on Monday that Brady and play-by-play analyst Kevin Burkhardt will be on the call for a Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns matchup in Week 1.
Tom Brady Will Make Fox Debut Calling Cowboys-Browns
Dallas-Cleveland is scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET during an exclusive doubleheader window for Fox. CBS will not air an NFL game during the late afternoon window.
“Amazing. Obviously, having the Cowboys on is a huge draw,” Brady said at an advertising event on Monday.
“As America’s Team — that’s going to get a little hard for me to say that all the time, understand they were the competition for a long time. But in this new role, I know the Cowboys, how important they are to this network.”
LFG! 😤
EXCLUSIVE: @MichaelStrahan announces that the @dallascowboys will face the Cleveland @Browns in Week 1 to mark @TomBrady's FOX Sports broadcasting debut.
📺: Catch the full 2024 @NFL Schedule release Wednesday, May 15 at 8p ET on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/n6oJ0wUMrB
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 13, 2024
Coincidentally, Brady played the final game of his career against the Cowboys. Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Cowboys in the Wild Card Round of the 2022-23 NFL playoffs. He attempted a whopping 66 passes, completing 35 for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Dallas had begun the season on Sunday Night Football in each of the last two years and in three of the last four. In 2021, the Cowboys played Brady and the Super Bowl champion Bucs in a Thursday night season opener. This is the first time since 2019 that Dallas will not begin the year with a prime-time matchup.
Cowboys vs. Browns Week 1 Storylines
Cowboys vs. Browns is the third Week 1 matchup of the 2024 NFL season to have been revealed. The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Baltimore Ravens to open the year on Thursday Night Football, while the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Green Bay Packers in the NFL’s first game in Brazil.
What storylines should we watch for in Brady’s Fox debut?
Elite Cowboys Offense vs. Dominant Browns Defense
Dallas scored more points (509) than any team in the NFL last season. Meanwhile, Cleveland was the league’s most efficient club on a per-snap basis by a wide margin, lapping the rest of the NFL in EPA per play.
Offseason additions and departures mean these two units don’t look exactly the same as they did in 2023. But the Cowboys-Browns matchup should still feature a high-powered offense against a stifling defense.
Will Dallas’ Quiet Offseason Be Obvious?
No organization was less active during free agency in 2024 than the Cowboys, who spent just $16.925 million on new contracts.
Dallas let key contributors like RB Tony Pollard, OT Tyron Smith, C Tyler Biadasz, EDGE Dorance Armstrong, and CB Stephon Gilmore leave in free agency. Its only significant additions were RB Ezekiel Elliott — back with the Cowboys after a one-year stint with the New England Patriots — and LB Eric Kendricks.
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The most critical roster deficiency could be at left tackle, where first-round rookie Tyler Guyton is projected to take over for Smith. While Guyton has the physical tools to become a long-term starter, handling Browns EDGE Myles Garrett in your NFL debut is another proposition.
Will Browns RB Nick Chubb Play?
Nick Chubb tore his MCL and damaged his ACL in Week 2 of last season, and his potential return date remains unclear. Browns GM Andrew Berry recently said that Chubb began running in April and is “progressing nicely” but cautioned that the 28-year-old “still has a long way to go.”
If Chubb isn’t ready to face the Cowboys in Week 1, Cleveland could use a running-back-by-committee approach that involves Jerome Ford, D’Onta Foreman, and Nyheim Hines.