In a division that was once coined as the “NFC Least” less than a half-decade ago, the NFC East now sports one of the toughest divisions in the NFL behind two teams that played in the NFC Championship in 2024 and a different champion every year for the last 21 seasons.
With the chase to catch the Philadelphia Eagles in full swing this offseason, there has been some roster turnover and improvement in all four organizations since the Eagles carried the Lombardi Trophy in February.
Here are the division’s five biggest storylines surrounding the Dallas Cowboys heading deeper into the offseason.
Washington trades for two All-Pros on offense
It wasn’t just the Dallas Cowboys trading for wide receiver George Pickens that added offensive firepower to the division. In March, the Washington Commanders sent a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for Pro Bowl receiver Deebo Samuel.
In a division where the Cowboys finished in the top five of scoring across the league in three out of the last four years, and the Eagles were fourth in the NFL in 2024, adding offensive weaponry was at the top of Washington’s wishlist. To help distribute to those weapons, the Commanders also traded for offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in a deal with the Houston Texans that sent away multiple picks.
With a rookie contract at quarterback with Jayden Daniels for the next four seasons, the Commanders are pushing all of their chips in the middle of the table to maximize on their current window.
Eagles lose defensive depth in free agency
In the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles put on a defensive performance for the ages with the world watching, as players from all across the depth chart got in on the action from Zack Baun and Cooper DeJean hauling in interceptions to rookie Jalyx Hunt registering a mark in the sack category.
However, some of that depth will now be tested going into 2025. The Eagles once again parted ways with starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, cornerback Darius Slay moved across the state of Pennsylvania to play for the Steelers and defensive tackle Milton Williams saw a huge pay raise to take his services to the New England Patriots.
It will take some young players such as rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, second-year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and former top-10 pick Jordan Davis stepping up into big roles in 2025 for the defense to have as much success as it did in 2024.
Do the Giants have three quarterbacks or none?
You know how the saying when two quarterbacks play when the season comes around goes, “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” Well, what about three?
After signing Russell Wilson in free agency, the Giants doubled back with Jameis Winston as his backup to solidify a room that was putrid in 2024 after cutting Daniel Jones and letting Tommy DeVito take them to the promised land (the bottom of the division).
With both veterans on one-year deals, it wasn’t all of the quarterback movement that the Giants felt like making, as they traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss product Jaxson Dart in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Who will start? Who will be the backup? And how short will the leash be for any quarterback getting time in that system? All of those things will be closely watched when the Giants kick off training camp and preseason.
How does Philadelphia’s offense change under Kevin Patullo?
The one-year rental of Kellen Moore at offensive coordinator for the Eagles proved to be just what they needed to get over the hump, but now it will be up to Kevin Patullo to enact an encore performance in 2025.
Philadelphia has the pieces. From Saquon Barkley to A.J. Brown to Jalen Hurts and more, it doesn’t take an offensive wizard to put those pieces in a position to succeed. But can Patullo limit Hurts’ mistakes and keep the offense multiple to continue to open up the run game for Barkley?
Multiple coordinators couldn’t quite get over the hump for Philadelphia, but Patullo has the benefit of walking into a complete product fresh off one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history.
Giants add pass rush weaponry in draft
With the No. 3 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Giants selected Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter who was widely regarded as college football’s top pass rusher from 2024.
Carter is far from the only pass rush weapon that New York has attempted to add in past years, as the franchise used a top-five pick on Kayvon Thibodeaux, traded for Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence and signed Chauncey Golston this offseason away from the Cowboys in free agency.
The Giants haven’t been able to get the full potential out of that unit just yet. But with a weapon like Carter added to the mix, offensive lines in the division could have a lot of issues dealing with what the Giants throw at them at the line of scrimmage in 2025.