Nate Burleson dropped an awkward joke during March Madness coverage on CBS Sports.The former NFL wide receiver has stepped in as a replacement for legendary host Ernie Johnson, who has reduced his NCAA Tournament workload this year.Burleson split opinion with a ‘size matters’ joke on March Madness coverageGettyBurleson has built an impressive resume with regular duties on CBS Mornings and the network’s football broadcasts, and appeared alongside Clark Kellogg, Bruce Pearl, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith in the studio Sunday.During the halftime show for Duke’s Elite Eight game against UConn, the crew took a moment to preview the Final Four matchup between Michigan and Arizona.Legendary college coach Pearl pointed out that several players on the floor would be bigger than Barkley in his day, which led to Smith saying: “We can do that in the studio, he’s only 6-foot-4 and a half, really.”That comment drew laughter, and Pearl then added: “Size matters in basketball guys. It matters in jewelry, and it matters in basketball.”The crew agreed with his sentiment, and Burleson wrapped the segment by cracking a cheeky joke of his own.“Not just in basketball…” he said, before informing viewers that the second half of the UConn-Duke game was about to begin.Sunday marked Burleson’s last day in the CBS studio as host for this year’s March Madness, as Johnson is due to anchor coverage for the Final Four and the championship game.For some fans, Johnson’s return can’t come soon enough.Nate Burleson faces viewer backlash over NCAA Tournament coverageA clip of Burleson’s ‘size matters’ joke quickly surfaced on social media, and more than 600,000 fans have watched the awkward moment in the hours since, with many suggesting he was a poor fit to host the basketball broadcast.“Worst part of March Madness this year is this guy,” one wrote on X.View Tweet: https://t.co/RXLWQE5C6d“Nate isn’t bad. He just doesn’t fit with them. He was literally playing in the NFL when all these guys were already retired. They’re a completely different generation. They looked at him after his joke like he was an immature kid,” another claimed.“His legendary NFL career simply doesn’t translate,” a third said.“I’m sorry, Burelson is not a good studio host. He’s a great analyst but hosting isn’t for him, especially when he parachutes into basketball in March,” a fourth claimed.“Greg Gumbel is sorely missed. Nate Burleson ain’t it on these studio shows,” a fifth wrote.CBS testing Nate Burleson for NFL Today hosting dutiesClearly, Burleson has his share of online critics, especially when it comes to his basketball coverage.But he remains highly-rated by those within CBS, and his appearance for March Madness this year could well have been a high-stakes audition for a different role.CBS could be testing Burleson for a future NFL Today hosting gigGettyAccording to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, CBS is using the NCAA Tournament as an opportunity to test Burleson’s skills.If all goes well, he could become host of The NFL Today further down the line.That role has been held by James Brown since 2006.“Have seen a few people asking why Nate Burleson is CBS March Madness studio host,” Glasspiegel posted on X earlier this month.Fan favorite Johnson will return for March Madness coverage next weekendGetty“Ernie Johnson asked to step back from some of the dates in the role. CBS is testing to see if Burleson could eventually replace James Brown as NFL Today host.”The former wide receiver currently serves as an analyst for the pre-game show, and with Brown now 75-years-old, it makes sense for CBS to test his future replacement.Burleson will likely be far more at home hosting the NFL broadcasts, and his cheeky March Madness joke won’t likely damage his chances of taking that job down the line, despite the negative reaction online.Stay up to date with the latest from basketball across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.