The New York Giants have been circling the drain for years, but they seem to be on the way out of their mess. News broke early on Thursday that the team is hiring John Harbaugh to be their next head coach, and that is simply a marvelous move.
The Giants fired Brian Daboll during the 2025 NFL Season, but you could tell that this team had bits and pieces of being legitimate, and getting the head coach right is a huge step in the right direction. After years of dysfunction and trying first-year head coaches, the Giants get serious and bring in Harbaugh, who has a near 20-year tenure as head coach.
He's a Super Bowl champion, and, if nothing else, will stabilize this franchise for the next five years, perhaps eventually setting the table for a younger assistant to take over. Let's power rank the NFC East now that the Giants have Harbaugh.
NFC East power rankings after the Giants hire John Harbaugh as the head coach
4. Washington Commanders
It's hard to see how the Washington Commanders are going to easily rebound from a brutal 2025 season. Not only was Jayden Daniels hurt multiple times, but the roster itself took a beating, and it was not a particularly good one to begin with.
The coaching staff has been shaken up as well, and when a team turns over that many coaches and doesn't have a very good roster, bad things will happen. All of a sudden, Washington now feels, very comfortably, the worst team in the division as the offseason slowly begins.
3. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are just an average defense away from being a contender, but even if the defensive scheme and personnel changes heading into 2026, there isn't a guarantee that the product will be better. We're also not sure if Brian Schottenheimer is a legitimate head coach. While there was a good bit to like about Dallas in 2025, there is also way more that isn't a guarantee.
2. New York Giants
All of a sudden, I am very high on the New York Giants for 2026. Hiring John Harbaugh is a great move - the Giants now bring in a proven head coach, and it's not like this team doesn't have talent. The odds of a Jaxson Dart breakout in year two just got a lot bigger, and the defense is pretty much set up front.
I would not be shocked, at all, if Dart soon emerged as the best QB in the division and the Giants flirted with 10 or 11 wins. John Harbaugh has worked with a young QB before and is going to put together a strong staff that knows how to get the most out of these players.
Sure, the work hasn't even begun yet, but it's hard to not be optimistic about this team after bringing in Harbaugh.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
There are multiple other divisions the Philadelphia Eagles would have not finished first place in. This team just was not at all a major threat during the regular season, and the shortcomings on offense were once again exposed in the playoffs.
The Eagles are a funny team - they seem to either go one-and-done in the playoffs or make the Super Bowl, and I guess if the pattern holds into 2026, they will indeed make the Super Bowl. This team has two notable issues at head coach and quarterback - many have questioned what Nick Sirianni brings to the table as a head coach, as he doesn't call plays and can't seem to make consistent offensive coordinator hires.
Additionally, Jalen Hurts is a very limited quarterback unless he has a whiz of an OC catering to his strengths and hiding his weaknesses. Philly, for now, is no. 1 in our NFC East power rankings, but this team can absolutely not win the division in 2026.