Breaking down the NFC East: Eagles gear up for repeat in deeper division

David Wilson, Miami Herald on Aug 30, 2025

Published in Football

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The 2025 NFL season is set to get underway on Sept. 4 when the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys.

The Miami Herald broke down each division and continues with the NFC East, looking at the Cowboys, Eagles, New York Giants and Washington Commanders.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

— Coach: Brian Schottenheimer (first season as an NFL head coach)

— Last season: 7-10 (third in the division)

— Key additions: DE Kenny Clark, RB Jaydon Blue, RB Javonte Williams, WR George Pickens, G Tyler Booker, DE Dante Fowler

— Key subtractions: DE Micah Parsons, RB Rico Dowdle, G Zack Martin, DE Chauncey Golston, DE Demarcus Lawrence, CB Jourdan Lewis

— Looking ahead: Injuries ravaged the Cowboys last season, and cost former coach Mike McCarthy his job and triggered a strange, prolonged coaching search for Dallas. The Cowboys landed on coach Brian Schottenheimer, who will be under pressure to get this talented roster back into contention in the National Football Conference despite the retirement of former guard Zack Martin and the loss of star defensive end Micah Parsons, who was traded to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round draft picks and Kenny Clark on Thursday. Still, quarterback Dak Prescott, superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, superstar guard Tyler Smith and a young, talented defense give Schottenheimer more than enough to work with to get the Cowboys back to the NFL playoffs.

New York Giants

— Coach: Brian Daboll (fourth season with the Giants; 18-32-1 in the regular season, 1-1 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 3-14 (fourth in the division)

— Key additions: QB Jameis Winston, QB Russell Wilson, RB Cam Skattebo, CB Paulson Adebo, S Jevon Holland

— Key subtractions: TE Darren Waller, DE Azeez Ojulari

— Looking ahead: The Giants hope this was a transformative offense for the franchise, as few teams added more — while losing less — than New York. They signed quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson, defensive end Chauncey Golston, cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland, and brought back wide receiver Darius Slayton. They drafted quarterback Jaxson Dart and defensive end Abdul Carter in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, and picked running back Cam Skattebo in the fourth round. Most importantly, they barely lost any important contributors. The Giants should be better, assuming one of their three new quarterbacks can be a serviceable starter — the question is: How much?

Philadelphia Eagles

— Coach: Nick Sirianni (fifth season with the Eagles; 48-20 in the regular season, 6-3 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 14-3 (first in the division), won the Super Bowl

— Key additions: DE Azeez Ojulari, LB Jihaad Campbell, S Andrew Mukuba

— Key subtractions: G Mekhi Becton, DE Brandon Graham, DE Josh Sweat, DT Milton Williams, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

— Looking ahead: Even with the departures of half a dozen key defensive contributors, the Eagles still have the most talented roster in the NFL, particularly on offense. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is stamped as an undeniable star after winning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Running back Saquon Barkley is the best running back in the league and maybe should have won the NFL Most Valuable Player award last season. Wide receivers A.J Brown and Devonta Smith, and tight end Dallas Goedert make for one of the best groups of receivers in the league. Most crucially, the offensive line is still the league’s best, with star tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, star guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens. Even on defense, Philadelphia should still be great, with defensive tackle Jalen Carter and linebacker Zack Baun emerging as superstars, and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean shaping up to be the NFL’s next great corner tandem.

Washington Commanders

— Coach: Dan Quinn (second season with the Commanders; 55-47 in the regular season, 5-3 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 12-5 (second in the division), lost the NFC championship game to the Eagles

— Key additions: RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, T Josh Conerly Jr., T Laremy Tunsil, CB Trey Amos

— Key subtractions: RB Brian Robinson Jr., WR Dyami Brown, DE Dante Fowler, DT Jonathan Allen, S Jeremy Chinn

— Looking ahead: Star quarterback Jayden Daniels did the unthinkable as a rookie and made the Commanders a legitimate contender, pushing the Eagles in the NFC East and making the NFC championship game. The NFC championship, however, showed how much further Washington still has to go to catch Philadelphia. Whether the Commanders can catch the Eagles already likely depends on whether Daniels builds on his rookie season or hits a sophomore slump and regresses after Washington was the best fourth-down team in history last season. The Commanders, however, did make some savvy moves, reshaping their offensive line by trading for Laremy Tunsil and drafting fellow tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, and then nabbing cornerback Trey Amos in the second round of the draft to try to elevate a much-improved defense led by star linebacker Frankie Luvu.