Sources Confirm: ESPN Re-Signs Prominent NFL Reporters Jeff Darlington, Dan Graziano, Kimberley A. Martin and Ed Werder Ahead of 2022 Season (2024)

• Remain Focused on Providing Fans Breaking NFL News, Exclusive Interviews and Unmatched Storytelling
  
• Regular contributions on Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live, SportsCenter, Get Up and Additional Cross-platform Shows
  
• Join Returning Veteran NFL Reporters Sal Paolantonio and Dianna Russini

ESPN’s NFL reporters Jeff Darlington, Dan Graziano, Kimberley A. Martin and Ed Werderwill continue their best-in-category reporting for the network, as ESPN has re-signed the accomplished reporters to new deals. Darlington, Graziano, Martin and Werder will continue covering the NFL year-round, providing fans breaking news, live on-site reports, exclusive, impactful interviews with the league’s biggest names and ESPN’s hallmark, world-class storytelling.

Veteran ESPN NFL Reporters Sal Paolantonio and Dianna Russini, both in the midst of multi-year agreements, join Darlington, Graziano, Martin and Werder in providing fans daily, year-round coverage of the NFL. Together, the group brings unrivaled experience to ESPN and expertise that has propelled them each to the top echelon of their industry.

“This core group of NFL reporters are some of the most valued and esteemed voices covering the NFL,” said Seth Markman, Vice President and Executive Producer. “Their connections and sources across the League are unparalleled and we are thrilled to have them back on fan’s screens – from stadiums, practice facilities and in-studio – year-round.”

Throughout the year, fans will continue to see and hear from each of the multi-tool journalists on ESPN studio shows, including Sunday NFL Countdown as they report on-location from the week’s biggest games. NFL Live, SportsCenter, Get Up and other studio programming will also continue to regularly feature the group – as panelists and fill-in hosts – as will ESPN radio and cross-platform digital properties.

On-site coverage at signature NFL events – Super Bowl Week, the NFL Draft, the NFL Scouting Combine, NFL Meetings and more – will remain a signature part of each reporter’s roles.

For the season premiere of Sunday NFL Countdown, ahead of Week 1, Fans will hear live, on-site reports from each of the reporters during Sept. 11’s three-hour show (10a.m.—1p.m. ET) (assignments, subject to change):

About the group:

• Jeff Darlington: An Emmy award-winning journalist, Darlington joined ESPN in 2016 and has brought fans exclusive interviews with the game’s biggest newsmakers from Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and other elite stars. Most recently, Darlington’s feature “Hey, Noah,” – the story of a young cancer survivor and Tom Brady – was nominated for a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Long Feature. Based in South Florida, Darlington previously worked at NFL Network as a national reporter, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post as a Miami Dolphins beat reporter and for the Orlando Sentinel as beat writer for the Florida Gators.
• Dan Graziano: After starting as an NFC East blogger for ESPN in 2011, Graziano was an inaugural member of ESPN’s NFL Nation team in 2013, where he exclusively covered the New York Giants for ESPN.com. Graziano was named an ESPN’s national NFL reporter in 2016. Since 2019, Graziano has also been a regular fill-in host and panelist on ESPN’s Get Up and This Just In. A graduate of Georgetown University, Graziano previously worked at the Palm Beach Post and the Star-Ledger, in his home state of New Jersey.
• Kimberley A. Martin: An NFL reporter for more than a decade, Martin joined ESPN in March 2020 after reporting for numerous high-profile outlets – Yahoo! Sports, where she was a senior NFL writer, the Washington Post, the Buffalo News and Newsday. In conjunction with her NFL reporting, Martin is the co-host of ESPN’s only all-female podcast, “First Take Her Take.” A Brooklyn, NY native, Martin attended Wesleyan University before earning her master’s degree in magazine, newspaper and online journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
• Ed Werder: A seasoned NFL reporter for over 40 years, 2022 will mark Werder’s 25^th year covering the NFL for ESPN. Since 2019, he has been a Dallas-based bureau reporter covering the NFL and the Cowboys, specifically. Prior to ESPN, Werder served as a beat writer covering the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. A native of Colorado, Werder reported for prominent outlets such as Sports Illustrated (1987-95), the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1989), the Orlando Sentinel (1991) and the Dallas Morning News (1992-96 ).
• Sal Paolantonio: Since joining ESPN in 1995, Paolantonio has become one of the most prominent and respected voices in the NFL. In addition to his previously mentioned roles, Paolantonio is the host of the long-running show, NFL Matchup, an in-depth look at the week’s games focusing on the X’s and O’s through exclusive use of team-supplied game footage. Before joining ESPN, he spent 10 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer as a national political reporter and as a Philadelphia Eagles reporter. A native of Queens, N.Y., Paolantonio graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. In 2013, the school honored him with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. He also received a master’s degree in journalism from New York University in 1980.
• Dianna Russini: A multi-faceted NFL reporter at ESPN since 2017, Russini originally joined the network as a SportsCenter anchor in 2015. Since then, she has broken numerous game-changing NFL stories and sat down with some of the biggest names in the League, such as head coaches Mike Tomlin, Mike Vrabel and Sean McVay. A native of Bronx, NY, Russini was a Division I soccer player at George Mason University. Prior to joining ESPN, Russini worked at TV stations all over the country, with WRC-TV (NBC4) in Washington, D.C being her final stop before ESPN, where she served as the main sports anchor.

Media Contacts:
Derek Volner ([emailprotected])
Lily Blum ([emailprotected])

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