In a move that had been rumored for weeks, ESPN announced yesterday it had come to terms with Emmitt Smith as a prime-time football studio analyst.
The former Cowboys running back replaces Michael Irvin, who parted ways with ESPN last month and was a teammate of Smith’s in Dallas from 1990-1999.
“I was hoping to have an opportunity to work right alongside [Irvin], but obviously that’s not going to happen,” Smith said. “It is tough to replace a guy that I am close to.”
Smith worked for NFL Network last season, but he will find himself in a much more prominent position at ESPN, where he will work on “Sunday NFL Countdown” and “Monday Night Countdown.”
Former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells also will work as an analyst on “Monday Night Countdown,” though Parcells will broadcast from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn.