In recent years, one of the NFL’s most prominent divisions has become something of a snooze party, as two teams have run over their counterparts within the division. The NFC East has been led by the Cowboys and Eagles for the past few seasons, with both teams standing tall behind their quarterbacks to stay relevant in the playoffs. However, for the first time in years, there is a small window for the Giants and Commanders to progress within the division. The Cowboys have become a bit vulnerable on the field after a quiet offseason, making them deadly enough for one of the perennial last-place dwellers to attack.
Now, even though the Cowboys didn’t make many moves this offseason, it would still be a little upset if they actually lost to the Giants or Commanders this season in the NFC East. They still have the best quarterback in the division in Dak Prescott, and a non-quarterback duo of running back Micah Parsons and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will always give them a chance to win any game. That’s assuming Dallas reaches a deal with Lamb, who sat out minicamp this month. This has become an incredibly stacked roster. The Cowboys need some younger players to develop in a big way over the summer to hold their own in their fight against the Eagles, but as things stand, Dallas is achievable.
Not only can Dallas be gotten next season, but what happens this year in the NFC East will go a long way toward deciding exactly how far they go in the division in future years. It’s been said ad nauseum, but the team has Prescott with one year left on his contract, giving the Cowboys a modicum of flexibility for the future if this season doesn’t go as well as they hope. That also opens a window for the Giants and Commanders to come in and, frankly, stop being losers.
As to which last-place finisher has the best chance of beating Dallas this season? It’s hard to parse who’s better, but the Giants feel like the best bet based on some of the talent they’ve acquired this offseason. Dexter Lawrence could be the NFL’s best defensive tackle in a post-Aaron Donald world and the Giants added star running back Brian Burns to join him and Kayvon Thibodeaux up front. As the Giants try to figure out who their offensive playmakers will be this season, they have a strong core of defensive players to lean on as they try to make their game for the rest of the division. Sixth overall draft pick and wide receiver Malik Nabers needs to be an offensive force as a rookie to make this more feasible, which is possible given his draft status and talent.
The Commanders have the rookie quarterback wild card, but if Jayden Daniels is who they think he is, Washington will at least finally have the quarterback who poses a threat to Dallas. It’s been a tough sled for the Commanders in that regard over the past few years, going through players like Sam Howell and Taylor Heinicke before pulling the trigger on Daniels. The rookie quarterback at least has some potential playmakers to help his cause defeat the Cowboys, but it won’t be easy, especially considering the lack of offensive line talent the Commanders have currently assembled.
Neither the Giants nor the Commanders will be able to touch the Eagles, barring a historic run of injuries: they are simply too far ahead. However, they could give the Cowboys a run for their money solely because of where the Cowboys are after an offseason of inaction. The NFC East could find itself with the Eagles winning the division again, but second place should have a little more competition than in recent seasons.
Hey, it’s something to look forward to this year as we’re inundated with another slew of NFC East primetime games.