At the conclusion of the 2023 season, every team in the NFC East felt let down. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will try to forget their playoff heartbreaks from the previous season as the 2024 season gets underway, while the New York Giants and the upstart Washington Commanders want to continue their rebuilds.
Since the Eagles won back-to-back division titles in 2003 and 2004, the volatile NFC East has not had a repeat winner; this is the longest such stretch in NFL history.
Some NFL divisions are more flashy than others; the AFC East is home to the explosive offenses of the Bills and Dolphins, while the AFC North included three teams that made the playoffs the previous season.
But it is not easy to win the NFC East.
In spite of their early playoff exits in the previous season, many still regard the Cowboys and Eagles as title candidates.
Dan Quinn, the Commanders’ coach, claims he is aware of what to anticipate from one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions. The native of New Jersey, who has served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, watched the rivalry develop growing up.
During his inaugural press conference in February, Washington’s new coach declared, “This is a really cool division.” The plans will alter, but it is a good thing because you already know a lot about the players. There are undoubtedly some benefits to that.
forever
Quinn has stated that his squad is “recalibrating,” not rebuilding, for the past seven months. However, Vegas’s oddsmakers are pessimistic. They entered the season with Washington’s victory total of 6 1/2, which was tied for the fourth-lowest in the NFL.
The Commanders’ internal battles inside the division—NFC East opponents swept Washington in 2023—are partly to blame for this gloomy prognosis.
In 2024, the road does not seem any simpler.
reloaded
During the offseason, the Eagles and Cowboys added a few new players.
Following their playoff defeat, Philadelphia only managed nine points, so they fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and brought in Kellen Moore. After Dallas’ defense gave up 48 points to Green Bay, the team brought in veteran defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to take Quinn’s place.
The Eagles made a big splash in free agency, while the Cowboys were surprisingly quiet. They inked former Giants running back Saquon Barkley to a $37.75 million, three-year contract.
