Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Each NFC East team faces a critical positional need as training camp approaches, with some gaps more pressing than others.
- Dallas must find a consistent edge rusher to complement its strong roster, while Washington lacks reliable depth behind Terry McLaurin.
- The Giants and Eagles need to address their interior offensive line and secondary respectively, with both teams facing uncertain timelines for solutions.
Building a football team with zero holes is impossible. You're always going to end up with some weakness. There is no exception to this rule; even Super Bowl-winning teams have flaws.
But not all flaws are created equal. In the NFC East, there are teams with such glaring holes that it might cost them a shot at winning the division, and there are also teams whose biggest weakness feels minuscule by comparison. Let's take a look at the biggest remaining need for each team in this wide-open group.
Dallas Cowboys: Edge rusher
After trading Micah Parsons before the 2025 season, you'd have thought that the Dallas Cowboys would have made finding more pass rush a priority this offseason. That wasn't really the case.
Sure, the team used its second pick in the first round on Malachi Lawrence, but he's probably a year away from really being an impactful NFL player. The "big" addition, Rashan Gary, struggled near the end of last season — his most recent sack was back in October.
Can Dallas cobble enough pass rushing juice together to be fine in 2026? I think so. This is probably the most complete roster in the NFC East, with the only real holes being the need for someone to emerge as an additional, consistent edge rusher and someone to emerge as a reliable No. 2 running back behind Javonte Williams.
The good news for Dallas? They have some options on the free-agent market still if they want to try adding that way. Joey Bosa would be the big name to go after, but other names still on the market who can contribute include AJ Epenesa and Cameron Jordan. You could probably get Jordan on a cheap deal if he wants to chase a ring.
New York Giants: Center
A week ago, the answer here would have been the defensive line, but the New York Giants have been busy adding veteran linemen since the NFL Draft concluded, notably signing D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris. That leaves the interior of the offensive line as the next biggest need.
2023 second-round pick John Michael Schmitz Jr. was PFF's 28th-rated center last season, and while the team added Lucas Patrick as his backup in free agency, he turns 33 years old in July and has spent much of his career at guard. Last season, he played just 23 offensive snaps for the Bengals.
You'll probably be fine with Schmitz, but it's a spot where the Giants should at least be thinking about a long-term answer, especially since Schmitz is in the last year of his deal. That probably doesn't mean signing anyone right now, especially because there's no real answer on the free-agent market. If the Giants were going to go that route, it would have made more sense to go after head coach John Harbaugh's former center with the Ravens, Tyler Linderbaum. What New York needs to do now is take a long, hard look at what Schmitz does in 2026 and then decide if it's time to look for a new center on Day 1 or Day 2 of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Philadelphia Eagles: Safety
The Philadelphia Eagles have been really good at building their defense through the draft, and the cornerback duo of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean is among the league's best. The addition of Riq Woolen in free agency makes that even more of a strength. But look behind them on the defense, and questions emerge.
It's not that there isn't talent here. Between Marcus Epps, Andrew Mukuba and Michael Carter II, there are interesting players, and Mukuba in particular feels set to have a strong season. It's the other safety spot that's a mystery.
Epps has graded poorly in PFF's metrics over the past two seasons and played just about a third of Philly's defensive snaps last year. Carter is definitely the higher-upside option, but his biggest issue is that he's spent his career playing corner. Can he adjust to the safety position on a full-time basis? It'd be the ideal outcome, but it's far from a guarantee.
Washington Commanders: Wide receiver
This might be the biggest positional need in the entire NFC East. The Washington Commanders have a great No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin, but behind him? I have one word for you: Yikes.
If the season started right now, I'd guess that the two other starting wide receivers in 11 personnel sets would be Luke McCaffrey and third-round rookie Antonio Williams, which doesn't really feel like great support for quarterback Jayden Daniels. Behind those guys, you have the reclamation projects of Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson. Maybe one of them — Brown seems most likely — can become a contributor, but it's still not a great situation.
This would have been a great spot for Jauan Jennings, but he opted to sign with the Vikings. Assuming Stefon Diggs isn't an option here — you'd think if he was going to sign somewhere, it would have happened by now — and that the door is closed on a Deebo Samuel return, there's really no free agent left who is going to move the needle.
So, what do the Commanders do, aside from cross their fingers and hope someone breaks out? Relying heavily on tight end Chig Okonkwo is one option, but mostly, Washington is just going to have to rely too much on McLaurin, which risks leading to defenses sitting on those routes and jumping them to create turnovers.
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