The NFC East has a chance to be one of the toughest divisions in the NFL this upcoming season. Even if the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants sift to the bottom of the standings, they could easily be a nine-win team at the bottom. Philadelphia obviously runs that division right now the Washington Commanders look to remain contenders.
But is it all good for the four teams in the NFC East? We’ve been able to pinpoint their strengths after a busy offseason for all the teams in the division as everyone tries to keep up with the Eagles. That said, what are their biggest problems and how do they go about solving them?
I’ll dive into each team's biggest weakness ahead of the 2025 season and how they can solve it. Some problems are easier than others. Either way, the NFC East is setting to be just as riveting as it always is.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles, for as good as their defense was in 2024, probably won’t be as strong. Specifically when you talk about their interior defensive line. They returned most of that core that gave Patrick Mahomes fits in the Super Bowl, but they are thin at nose tackle.
They have an abundance of EDGE options and could easily let Jalen Carter eat as an interior lineman vs. moving him outside, but even then, they don’t have a lot of depth on their interior defensive line, especially with Brandon Graham announcing his retirement. This could be a problem as the Eagles might struggle at stuffing the run week after week.
Last year, they had the No. 2 defense in the NFL and a top 10 run defense. They were particularly well in the redzone, allowing just nine rushing touchdowns all season. They have time to address that need, but they will need more depth on the interior to defend their Super Bowl title.
I think the easiest way to fix this is maybe move Carter inside and rely on your linebackers to provide pressure off the edge. I think Carter can be an elite player of the edge, but could play an impactful role on the interior next season.
Washington Commanders
As a whole, the Washington Commanders defense is a problem. Not in a way that they won’t be contenders in the division still, but in the sense that they still have some secondary issues as well as not having an elite EDGE rusher yet.
The secondary they can fix, primarily, through patience with their young corners. Mike Sainristil showed a lot of potential his rookie season and should build on that this season. Marshon Lattimore has yet to look like his old self with his new team, which is cause for concern because the Commanders traded for him at the deadline as a player that could anchor the cornerback room.
They drafted Trey Amos out of Ole Miss in the second round, which could be an important piece. If Lattimore continues to disappoint, they could have a very young, but equally potential secondary to work with.
As far as addressing their EDGE rusher, maybe their best shot is seeing what it would take to get Trey Hendrickson. They may not have what the Bengals would want to get Hendrickson in a trade, but it might be worth pursuing.
Championship windows are slim and the Commanders reached the NFC championship game a year ago, they can’t waste away a really good shot. So they’ll need to get active to fill out the remaining holes in their defense.
New York Giants
The New York Giants need offensive weapons. They feel they have their quarterback to win now and their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart. But their weapons are slim. Outside of Malik Nabers, the Giants really aren’t a threat offensively, which will probably be their biggest problem. The added Cam Skattebo to beef up their running back room.
But if Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston (even Dart) don’t get more help within the offense, it won’t matter who’s under center. With the draft over, it’s clear the Giants will have to experiment with some trades.
Receivers seem to be pretty cheap so getting one toward the trade deadline could be the move. They’re going to need a solid offense to compete in the NFC East. The Dallas Cowboys added George Pickens, a major need, the Commanders added Deebo Samuel and the Eagles have DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown.
If New York wants to be respectable in the NFC East, they need at least one more solid receiver to pair with Nabers.
Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones was actually active this offseason. He made some necessary moves to improve this roster and while it might not be the best in the division, it’s lightyears ahead of where it was a year ago. The Pickens addition highlights a busy offseason.
That said, the Cowboys biggest issue is on the defensive side of the ball. Their interior defense is not great at all. They’ve had to retool the linebacker room and injuries and offseason departures have depleted the defensive line.
DeMarvion Overshown will most likely miss the season and DeMarcus Lawrence departed Arlington for Seattle. Because of that, Micah Parson’s production has to go up for now. The Cowboys did add Dante Fowler Jr., but he’s not an elite EDGE rusher.
I think for Dallas, the best thing to do is develop their youth. While I don’t agree with it, they don’t really need to make a big splash as they have Parsons’ extension looming. They can’t go too crazy spending cap space money to save for Parsons.
Which essentially means they have to hope Fowler can do enough and the young players behind him can produce to take some of the pressure off Parsons.