No team has won the NFC East in consecutive seasons since the Philadelphia Eagles from 2001 to 2004 – to maintain that 20-year streak, the Washington Commanders will likely need to come in first in 2025.
The Commanders finished 12-5 in second place a year ago behind the 14-3 Eagles. The reigning champs still have many on-paper advantages and are in the conversation for the most talented team in football, although Washington’s numerous offseason upgrades closed the gap.
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants were also active during the offseason and are fighting to earn a Wild Card spot in a competitive NFC.
Records aside, debates exist over which NFC East team has the most offensive talent in the division.Â
Here’s my take on how the position group battles shake out.Â
Quarterback
#1: Commanders
#2: Eagles
#3: Cowboys
#4: Giants
Based on Jayden Daniels’ lone professional season, he was one of the five best at his position in the entire NFL. He was fourth in QBR, sixth in EPA per play, and quarterbacked a team that was at a steep talent disadvantage relative to its playoff opponents to an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
Is the sample size limited? Of course. Daniels could easily disappoint in his sophomore campaign, which would affect his ranking more than if he had five excellent seasons under his belt.
What Daniels possessed above all of his competitors—Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and the New York Giants’ QB room—was dynamism. He was a constant threat to take the top off the defense, was extremely efficient near the line of scrimmage, had the second-most rushing yards of any quarterback, and captained the best fourth-down team in NFL history.
The conversation between Hurts and Prescott at number two is much trickier. Prescott is a much better thrower of the football but has had more volatile swings. He also doesn’t have Jalen Hurts’ Tush Push effectiveness which, while a niche trait, is vital to the Eagles’ offense.
Hurts also operates the Philly offense exactly as intended. Prescott, who was second in MVP voting in 2023, might be a better seven-on-seven selection, but he’s also far more likely to make backbreaking mistakes in high-leverage games. Meanwhile, the two best games of Hurts’ professional career could easily be his two Super Bowl appearances.
Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart are all several tiers below the top three.
Running back
#1: Eagles
#2: Giants
#3: Commanders
#4: Cowboys
There’s no room for argument atop the list. Saquon Barkley last year became the ninth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a single season, hitting 2,005 in just 16 games. The only other divisional player above 1,000 yards was Rico Dowdle (1,079), who is now employed by the Carolina Panthers.
The Giants have a valid case at number two in this department. Tyrone Tracy Jr. was a surprise as a fifth-round rookie, showing an ability to make instinctive cuts and solid speed bursting into the second level.
The G-Men also retained Devin Singletary, a solid number two option, and drafted Cam Skattebo in the fourth round. The former Arizona State man ran for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns and had 242 total yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 39-31 double-overtime loss to No. 5 Texas in the College Football Playoff.
That leaves the Commanders and the Cowboys battling for the third spot.Â
As limited as Brian Robinson Jr. is at creating explosive runs, having only registered four runs of at least 20 yards last year, he’s the most consistent player in either team’s position group. Washington also has a nice balance of pass-catching back Austin Ekeler, veteran Jeremy McNichols, bruiser Chris Rodriguez Jr., and high-potential seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
The Cowboys’ running back room has plenty of room for improvement. Javonte Williams is projected as as the lead back despite averaging 3.6 yards per carry over the last two seasons; backup Miles Sanders was even worse, averaging 3.5 yards per carry during the same stretch; and rookie Jaydon Blue was productive at Texas, though he was only third on their depth chart.
Wide receivers and tight ends
#1: Eagles
#2: Cowboys
#3: Commanders
#4: Giants
The Terry McLaurin and A.J. Brown debates are futile. Brown posted an outstanding 2.61 yards per route run as part of a season that saw him produce 1,242 yards and nine touchdowns on only 79 receptions.
The better conversation involves Brown and CeeDee Lamb, though the Eagles’ star still trumps there. DeVonta Smith is also a more consistent player than George Pickens, even if he doesn’t have the same highlight-making ability.
Smith also isn’t a threat to destroy his locker room, which can’t be said about Pickens. Dallas Goedert versus Jake Ferguson is inconsequential.
The Commanders and Giants are similar in that they both have outstanding number-ones with McLaurin and Malik Nabers, yet they’re several tiers below the Eagles and Cowboys. There’s an argument that Nabers is already better than McLaurin but Washington wins on the margins everywhere else.
A diminished Deebo Samuel is still better than any Giants receiver not named Nabers because of his ability to pick up yards after the catch. A resurgent Zach Ertz is also a much better bet than Theo Johnson, who showed potential as a rookie last year but didn’t crack 350 yards receiving.
The Commanders also have high-upside backups such as Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane on top of a proven security blanket, Noah Brown. Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and the Giants’ other options don’t have the same potential to make a consistent—even if limited— impact.Â
Offensive line
#1: Eagles
#2: Commanders
#3: Giants
#4: Cowboys
Pro Football Focus unsurprisingly graded the Eagles’ offensive line as the best in the league. Swapping Mekhi Becton for Kenyon Greene isn’t enough reason to drop them out of the top spot, especially as 35-year-old Lane Johnson believes he only just hit his prime.
A reworked Commanders line is second in the NFC East. Offseason trade acquisition Laremy Tunsil ranked fourth in pass-blocking win rate in 2024 and first in 2023, and rookie first-round selection Josh Conerly Jr. only allowed one sack in two years as a starter at Oregon. The pair will slot in on either side of the line, giving Daniels much more protection than he had as a first-year pro.
On the interior, the Commanders will field rising sophomore Brandon Coleman, the ever-steady Tyler Biadasz, and Pro Bowl-caliber guard Sam Cosmi.
There isn’t much between the Giants and the Cowboys. The Giants allowed about 0.1 seconds extra between the snap and time to throw and were slightly behind the Cowboys in pressure percentage allowed.
Although Dallas invested the 13th pick in guard Tyler Booker, the Giants also drafted an intriguing guard prospect, Marcus Mbow, in the fifth round. Andrew Thomas is also the best player on either line.
