Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) pauses during a joint NFL football practice with the New England Patriots, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
By Schuyler Dixon
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Philadelphia Eagles are the first in a generation with back-to-back titles in the NFC East, a division that didn’t have another team with a winning record last season.
The New York Giants, with just two playoff appearances since the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl championship 15 years ago, hired a perennial winner in John Harbaugh soon after the coach parted ways with Baltimore.
The Dallas Cowboys spent the entire offseason focused on trying to fix one of the NFL’s worst defenses, and Washington’s hopes revolve around a healthy Jayden Daniels reversing last year’s slide from contender to also-ran.
Being a two-time division champ for the first time since the Eagles won four in a row from 2001-04 didn’t mean much to a franchise coming off a Super Bowl victory, particularly after Philadelphia lost its playoff opener last season.
“It’s easy when you rush for all these yards and you win a Super Bowl,” said running back Saquon Barkley, who followed a 2,005-yard season with barely half that number.
“But when it doesn’t go the way you want it to, you’ve got to lock in even more, be more detailed in yourself, be more critical of yourself.”
There’s a higher standard in Philly
The Eagles have set a Super Bowl standard. Two titles in three appearances over 10 years have made playing in the final game of the NFL season the bar, rather than an aberration. So the Eagles can be excused for not getting very excited about winning a second straight division title.
Last season went so far off the rails, Philadelphia fired beleaguered offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo — whose house was egged as he became the top target for the frustrations of fans — and replaced him with Sean Mannion.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts will have a new offensive coordinator for the fifth consecutive season.
“I think it starts really just connecting with him on a personal level, get to know him, get to know what his interests are, what makes him tick,” Mannion said. “Then once you start to get to know a guy on a personal level, I think the football connection becomes pretty easy.”
Perhaps getting rid of wide receiver AJ Brown will help. The Eagles traded Brown to New England, and DeVonta Smith is the new No. 1 receiver for a franchise that grew tired of Brown’s act.
It’s all about improving the defense for the Cowboys
Quarterback Dak Prescott still has star receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and productive running back Javonte Williams for Brian Schottenheimer’s second season as coach and play-caller.
As a result, the focus has been entirely on trying to fix a defense that was one of the worst in franchise history.
Dallas drafted safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round. Those are the headliners among many moves on defense, including hiring 34-year-old Christian Parker as defensive coordinator after Matt Eberflus lasted just one season.
“I think the biggest thing for me is if you take our roster from last year and you laid it down next to our roster from this year, there’s no question that the depth and the overall talent is higher,” Schottenheimer said. “Some of that is from us developing some younger players that now are in a different classification, but also the addition of a number of pieces.”
Harbaugh boosts hopes and expectations in New York
Harbaugh’s arrival after 18 years leading the Ravens boosted expectations for the Giants, who are 13-38 the past three seasons. Harbaugh brings a Super Bowl ring and gravitas.
“His intensity, his love for the game, his leadership: There are a lot of things that stand out as to why he’s been so successful in this league,” second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart said. “All of us are just focused on buying in and taking the necessary steps for all of us to grow each and every day.”
Harbaugh worked his players hard for the first several weeks of training camp, which was a different level of intensity than under Brian Daboll. Making sure Dart is prepared to start strong has been a focus.
Top receiver Malik Nabers appears on track for the opener after working back from a torn ACL in his right knee. He and Dart overlapped for less than a half of one game last year.
Commanders reset with new coordinators after regression
After following a trip to the NFC championship game with a 5-12 showing, the Commanders reshuffled Dan Quinn’s coaching staff. Offensive coordinator David Blough replaces Kliff Kingsbury, and Daronte Jones takes over for Joe Whitt Jr. on defense.
Daniels was brilliant as a rookie but played only seven games last season. Protecting him got more complicated after left tackle Laremy Tunsil injured a triceps in training camp and needed surgery.
“I think it’s the on-field portion, like, speaks for itself. This is a great player,” Quinn said. “The off-field portion is also significant just because of his connection with his teammates and how he interacts with them. Like I said, on and off the field, this is significant for us.”
Washington also tried to give Daniels another playmaker by signing free agent Stefon Diggs, who is from the area and played at Maryland. Diggs had 85 catches for 1,013 yards for New England last season. The Commanders also hope for a bounce-back season from Terry McLaurin.
Predicted order of finish
Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Commanders
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