Perhaps the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles aren’t done tinkering with their talented roster. But the Dallas Cowboys are loaded on offense, and it’s the same story for the Washington Commanders. So, is there any wonder why the NFC East will be the NFL’s most chaotic division in 2025?
The stakes were raised when the Eagles won the Super Bowl. It’s true for any division when a team wins it all, but not all divisions are created equal. And because of offseason moves and overall talent, the NFC East should be a season-long thrill ride.
The Commanders, Cowboys, and Giants will join the rest of the NFL in chasing the Eagles. And here’s why the NFC East will be unique.
Philadelphia Eagles have their flaws
There’s nothing wrong with head coach Nick Sirianni’s offense. That unit will likely produce at the same level as the 2024 product.
But the same cannot be said for the defense. Turnover — not turnovers — is the key problem for the tough NFC East, according to espn.com.
“(Defensive coordinator) Vic Fangio saw a number of key contributors exit this offseason, including (Milton) Williams, cornerback Darius Slay Jr., safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and edge players Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham,” Tim McManus wrote. “The Eagles could also start the year without linebacker Nakobe Dean, who is recovering from a torn patellar tendon.
“Philadelphia brought in several veterans like corner Adoree' Jackson and edge rushers Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche on one-year deals. Between that group, the rookie class and up-and-comers such as safety Sydney Brown and cornerback Kelee Ringo, the hope is there is enough talent to sustain a high level of play defensively in 2025 after finishing as the top-ranked defense under Fangio last season.”
Given the departures, it’s hard to imagine the Eagles will remain the top-ranked defense. And that creates a big problem in a division with the Cowboys and the Commanders. Either of those offenses has the potential to be in the top five in the NFL.
Yes, the Eagles could win shootouts in their four regular-season NFC East encounters. But that’s a much tougher task than having the defense chip in with big performances.
This opens the door for Jayden and Daniels, and Dak Prescott to have big games in the head-to-head meetings. And if the Eagles go 1-3 in those contests, or even 2-2, the division race will come down to the final couple of weeks.
The problem created by the Giants
Nobody is picking the Giants to win the NFC East. But they will likely play a key role in who does. This year’s team is built strongly enough on defense to have a shot at beating the Commanders, Cowboys, or Eagles on a given NFC East Sunday.
The Giants have improved their secondary with the addition of cornerback Paulson Adebo.
“He's not a household name, but at least gives the Giants a proven player at the position,” Jordan Raanan wrote. “That's something they didn't have last season, and it backfired in the worst way. The Giants have a significantly better defensive backfield after the signing of Adebo and safety Jevon Holland. It's going to be needed with the teams in this division loaded at wide receiver.”
Combine the improved secondary with the pass rush getting a huge jolt from Abdul Carter, and the Giants are one big defensive play away from knocking off one of the big three.
How does the schedule play into the picture?
The Giants have two October games with the Eagles. And they have late-season matchups against the Commanders and Cowboys. It’s easy to see the Giants winning one, if not two, of those games.
Certainly, the Giants have better optimism to compete in the NFC East heading into the season, according to giants.com.
“I definitely think that we have a lot of new energy, period,” receiver Darius Slayton said. “Just in the quarterback room, in the receiver room. We've had some of our young guys, UDFA guys who came in and played really good ball. So, I think that's probably part of it. Now I'm older, just kind of feeling the youth, life of youth around me.
“Obviously, I came back, I was confident in the direction that we were going to go in, and obviously, once we make the acquisitions, obviously, a lot of people mostly focus on the quarterback position. Once we acquire the guys we have now, that obviously just raised the confidence level. We have a chance to be a really, really good offense.”
Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. added, “I think that we have some people out there that want to be leaders and want to be vocal and speak up, and I think that's the thing you need on a winning team,” Tracy said. “And I also think that everyone's buying in. I think that from top to bottom, best player to the last person on the roster, whatever it may be, I think everyone's buying in and we've got a good team ready to go.”
Commanders could be improved on defense
Aztial of improved defense for Washington. If the Commanders can stop people, they’re going to be tough to beat, week in and week out.
And they have an attitude of taking the next step, according to commanders.com.
“I know it's unfinished business,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said. “We left a lot out there last year, but last year was last year. This year is a new beginning, new start. We just gotta do the work now so when the time does come, we can celebrate,” he said.
Cowboys might be back in the saddle
They have a new coach, so the question marks are there. But if their defense can stop the opponents’ run game, this team could easily reach double-digit wins as it did for three years straight before last year’s injury-plagued dropoff.
And there’s an interesting thing about head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Many people believe he is set up for failure. However, with the addition of George Pickens, and if the team remains healthier than it did in 2025, he could be set up for success. Expectations for the Cowboys remain high, but expectations for Schottenheimer are low. So he oddly has a low bar individually for a high-bar organization.
