Jim Nantz, JJ Watt didn't tip toe around the Chiefs' controversial Justin Tucker signing

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Jim Nantz, JJ Watt didn't tip toe around the Chiefs' controversial Justin Tucker signing originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With their longtime kicker, Harrison Butker, struggling so far in 2026, the Chiefs made a controversial signing last week by adding former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad.

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In 2025, Tucker was suspended for 10 games by the NFL for violating its personal conduct policy in connection with sexual misconduct allegations. He has remained off NFL rosters since, until Kansas City added him to its practice squad with Butker's struggles.

During Sunday's Chiefs vs. Broncos matchup, CBS announcers Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt took a moment to acknowledge the controversy surrounding Tucker's signing, praised for doing so by fans afterward.

Here's what the CBS booth said about Tucker during Sunday's game. 

MORE: Inside Harrison Butker's kicking struggles in 2026

Jim Nantz, JJ Watt address Chiefs' Justin Tucker signing

So far this season, Butker has been one of the NFL's worst kickers, missing several field goals for Kansas City. He's been a staple of the franchise for years, but for the first time in a while, the Chiefs put pressure on their veteran kicker by signing another experienced player in Tucker.

Tucker had remained unsigned since the 2025 sexual misconduct allegations were brought to light, as he was subsequently released by the Ravens.

The Chiefs added him to their practice squad before Week 8, drawing criticism for their decision given the nature of Tucker's exit from Baltimore and the allegations he's faced.

When Butker came in for a field-goal attempt on Sunday, the CBS booth addressed the Tucker signing.

"Just last year, Tucker had to serve a 10-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Given the multitude of allegations of nonconsensual behavior, Tucker's signing this week just drew a sharp rebuke in Kansas City & really all over," Nantz said on the CBS broadcast. 

Watt also chimed in, saying that Andy Reid "understandably" faced a lot of questions from reporters about the signing last week.

Recently, Amazon's booth of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit faced criticism for downplaying the allegations against Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson during broadcasts.

“If you follow football, you know the story. We don’t have to go through the whole Deshaun Watson thing,” Michaels said during a Browns game earlier this year, per Awful Announcing. “He’s got this career in Houston, it’s great, all of a sudden he’s got these issues. We all know what they were.”

The juxtaposition of how the Michaels-Herbstreit booth handled the serious topics to the Nantz-Watt booth was another reason NFL fans praised CBS's team on Sunday.

It remains to be seen whether Tucker will actually land on the Chiefs' active roster at any point, but Butker's struggles continued in Week 8.  

MORE: Who are the most trustworthy kickers in the NFL?

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