We're already into the middle of the 2026 offseason, but for the NFC East, the drama may have only just begun.
Everyone in the NFL world is highly anticipating the upcoming AJ Brown trade, which is seemingly a foregone conclusion at this point. The impending trade of Brown has certainly cast a bit of a dark cloud over the Eagles' overall operation, but there are plenty of other interesting developments to monitor in this division as the offseason rolls along.
The Dallas Cowboys have vastly improved one of the worst defenses we've seen in recent memory, but will the offense be affected at all with George Pickens playing this season on the franchise tag?
The bigger-picture question right now is whether or not the NFC East is a two-team race, or whether the Commander and/or Giants can creep back into the mix. Our latest NFL Power Rankings will take a look at how each team stacks up against each other at the midway point of the offseason based on all of the moves we've seen on paper so far.
NFL Power Rankings: Cowboys closing the gap, Eagles losing their grip in the NFC East
4. New York Giants
I promise you, the New York Giants have had a worse offseason than you think. Since hiring John Harbaugh as their new head coach, things have seemingly just gone downhill and taken one turn after another for the worse.
- Cam Skattebo saying CTE and asthma are 'fake' and 'excuses
- Malik Nabers being critical of the team drafting at an already-loaded position
- Nabers having a longer injury recovery timeline than anyone anticipated
- Abdul Carter's comments about Jaxson Dart introducing President Trump at a New York event
- Dexter Lawrence being traded to the Bengals
- Oddly giving Joe Schoen an extension without reason to do so
As much as I -- and others -- love the fact that the Giants were able to get Harbaugh as their new head coach, it's equally unsettling to see all that's transpired so far this offseason with the Giants and the way it could affect the product on the field this coming season.
It's fair to be optimistic about the young core the Giants have, and how Harbaugh could extract the best out of them, while also acknowledging they've given us reasons to push pause on that optimism for the time being.
3. Washington Commanders
Even though the Washington Commanders went to the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago, I think this team is firmly the third-best team in the NFC East. It would require some significant overachieving for the Commanders to get beyond this point in the 2026 season.
What we saw in 2025 for the Commanders was a combination of things. Of course, the team struggled with injuries, including at the quarterback position. But beyond just struggling with injuries, we saw that the Commanders were lightyears ahead of schedule during that very fun 2024 season.
This roster was obviously not in a position to get that far, but they put the right mix of ingredients together and caught lightning in a bottle. I don't see that happening again in 2026. The hard reset button was pressed in 2024, but the soft reset button was pressed in 2026.
The Commanders made some really nice additions to their defensive front, landing pass rushers Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson. Getting both Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles at the second level will be massive moves for that defense as well, but is the secondary still too much of a work in progress?
Nobody allowed more yards than the Commanders last season, which is why you've seen such an overhaul of personnel on that side of the ball. This team needs a resurgence on that side of the ball, as well as a healthy and progressive year from Jayden Daniels.
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