Thanks to the Wild Card weekend losses suffered by the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, the four NFC East teams—Washington Commanders and New York Giants, of course, being the other two– are officially done until next season.
The Giants, who finished 6-11 in an injury-filled and disappointing campaign, managed to go 3-3 against division opponents. However, two of those wins came against the Commanders, who finished fourth in the division as they undergo their acclimation period under new owner Josh Harris.
The Cowboys, who unseated the Eagles as Division champions, made their predictable one-and-done showing in the postseason, with questions swirling regarding the futures of head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott. And the Eagles, who lost to the Giants in Week 18, face even bigger questions regarding head coach Nick Sirianni’s suitability to lead the team back to the promised land.
So, while the Giants fell short of their goal to close the gap with the Eagles and Cowboys, who combined to beat the Giants in three division games, each by at least two scores, let’s take a deeper dive into the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys | 12-5
In what many believe was a make-or-break year for head coach Mike McCarthy, who took over the play calling, the Cowboys made a quick cameo appearance in the postseason before suffering their first loss of the year at home at the hands of a Green Bay Packers team the Giants had defeated earlier in the season.
And just as everything seems to be bigger in Texas, so are the rumors about owner Jerry Jones’s next move. With Bill Belichick available for hire, landing the future Hall of Fame head coach would be a huge boom for Jones. But don’t expect that to happen unless Jones is willing to relinquish control of the general manager duties he seems to hold dear.
The bigger question for the Cowboys is quarterback Dak Prescott, who seems to come up short in big spots, as he did against the Packers in the Wild Card round. The Cowboys must decide whether to run it back again with Prescott, who has another year on his contract that includes a $5 million roster bonus or go in another direction.
With Dallas sitting 24th in the draft order, their chances of landing a top quarterback prospect aren’t promising, but no written rule says a franchise quarterback must be a first-rounder.
Philadelphia Eagles | 11-6
Don’t look now, but there’s trouble brewing in the Eagles’ nest. The Eagles, who at one point were 10-1 and looked unstoppable, dropped five of their last six games, putting them in the Wild Card round.
But more importantly, the rose seems to be off the bloom for head coach Nick Sirianni, who among the biggest questions he faced coming into 2023 was how the Eagles would fare with two new coordinators.
The answer is not very good. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai was replaced as playcaller by Matt Patricia. In three of those five losses the Eagles suffered from Week 13 onward, they were blown out by at least two scores, including the Week 18 beatdown by the Giants.
There have also been questions regarding whether Sirianni lost the locker room due to reported grumbling from star receiver A.J. Brown. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was reportedly set to meet with Sirianni on Wednesday to discuss the team’s direction. Still, some of the blame for the Eagles’ historic collapse should be placed on general manager Howie Roseman, who ran it back with aging cornerbacks, didn’t address the linebacker spot, and lacked depth at safety.
New York Giants | 6-11
This was not the kind of season the Giants, who a year prior came off a 9-7-1 season and their first postseason appearance since 2016, expected. Injuries to left tackle Andrew Thomas, quarterback Daniel Jones, tight end Darren Waller, and running back Saquon Barkley cost each player multiple games at varying points in the season, but there were even bigger problems for second-year head coach Brian Daboll.
For one, the offensive line was historically atrocious, having allowed 85 sacks, the second most in league history since sacks were tracked as a stat. Yes, injuries played a part in forcing at least seven different lineups, but the lack of development among the backups is one of many reasons why offensive line coach Bobby Johnson was fired.
The rest of the offense was nothing to write home about, either. Jones didn’t look like the 2022 version who earned that new four-year, $160 million contract. He put forth just one solid half of football, in Week 2 against the Cardinals) to his name. Otherwise, with Jones at the helm, the Giants were blown out of the water by their opponents in five of the six games he started.
While not the biggest problem on the team, the defense ran hot and cold, as did special teams. That led to the firing of special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, while defensive coordinator Wink Martindale resigned his position after Daboll fired his top two assistants, Drew and Kevin Wilkins.
The Giants biggest question moving forward is quarterback. Jones is not only recovering from a torn ACL, but he also dealt with his second neck injury in the last three years. New York sits sixth in the draft order, and at least two teams in front of them need a quarterback.
Will general manager Joe Schoen try to pull off a blockbuster deal like what Ernie Accorsi pulled off in 2004 when he landed Eli Manning, or are the Giants serious about running it back with Jones once he’s healthy?
Washington Commanders | 4-13
One could almost forgive the Commanders for the kind of season they had given the transfer of ownership, which was trying to find its footing regarding what it has and doesn’t have.
Already, the Commanders have upgraded their general manager spot, hiring former 49ers executive Adam Peters (who was considered for the Giants general manager vacancy) to lead the franchise out of the dark years.
Washington will also look for a new head coach after dismissing Ron Rivera from the role, and they’re thought to be considering an upgrade to quarterback to replace the inconsistent Sam Howell.
Washington, who hasn’t had a winning season in seven years, has a lot of needs across the board, from how it scouts to the coaching to the roster. Not all of that will be fixed in one off-season, but it will be interesting to see how Peters approaches what is one of the biggest rebuilds in the NFC.
Final Thoughts
It’s going to be an interesting off-season for the NFC East, which could see up to three new head coaches (Cowboys, Washington, Eagles), possibly three new starting quarterbacks (Giants, Cowboys, Washington), and a whole lot more turnover to ensure that come next season, the division is well represented deep into the playoffs.
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