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Will we see a shakeup in the NFC East this year?
The 2024 NFL season is almost here, and it looks to be a consequential one for the NFC East.
Each of the four teams has had significant turnover from what we saw at the end of the 2023 season. Not only have we seen a lot of turnover on their rosters, but each team has reshuffled their coaching staff. That might not be much of a surprise for the Washington Commanders or New York Giants, but the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will feature plenty of new faces as well.
Just what impact will all those changes have on the teams around the NFC East? Will it return to being the “NFC Beast”, or will the status quo remain?
Dallas Cowboys
2023 record: 12-5 (1st NFC East)
2023 offense: 1st total points; 5th total yards
2023 defense: 5th points allowed; 5th yards allowed
Subtractions: DE Dorance Armstrong Jr., LT Tyron Smith, OC Tyler Biadasz, RB Tony Pollard, DC Dan Quinn
Additions: OL Tyler Guyton, OL Cooper Beebe, LB Eric Kendricks , Edge Marshawn Kneeland
Reason for optimism: Top-end talent
Dallas might not have the best roster in the NFL, but the top of their various position groups are littered with great players. They have skill position players who can be matchup nightmares, a defense that can be disruptive and opportunistic, and a quarterback who can let them shine. There’s ample reason for optimism any time a team is set at the foundation and cornerstone positions.
Reason for pessimism: Losing Dan Quinn
The pressure of keeping all their best players together and happy could lead to fractures behind the scenes and a late-season collapse. But the most immediate reason for pessimism could be what the defense looks like without Dan Quinn. The Dallas defense has been one of the best in the league, balancing flexibility, aggression, opportunism, and stoutness. How much of that was the talent on the roster, and how much was it Quinn maximizing the talent he was given?
Philadelphia Eagles
2023 record: 11-6 (2nd NFC East)
2023 offense: 7th total points; 8th total yards
2023 defense: 30th points allowed; 26th yards allowed
Subtractions: OC Jason Kelce, Edge Haason Reddick, RB D’Andre Swift, S Kevin Byard
Additions: RB Saquon Barkley, Edge Bryce Huff, DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, CB Quinyon Mitchell, DB Cooper DeJean
Reason for optimism: Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio
The Eagles roster has been among the very best in the NFL, and could be even better in 2024. However, coaching losses after 2022 led to a disappointing 2023 campaign. Kellen Moore is an excellent offensive mind and his offensive philosophy could fit Jalen Hurts very well. The return of Vic Fangio could help the Eagles regain their dominant defensive identity from the 2022 season. It’s worth noting that Fangio was with the Eagles in an advisory role in 2022, and while they attempted to keep continuity in 2023, Fangio’s disciples have rarely performed as well as he has.
Reason for pessimism: Behind the scenes rifts
The Eagles have a Super Bowl caliber roster with a sky-high ceiling, but that might not matter if the new coaching dynamic isn’t able to be functional behind the scenes. The relationship between Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts reportedly soured last year, which could have contributed to their late-season collapse. Adding talent is great, but making sure things are functional behind the scenes is more important. That could be doubly true with the loss of center Jason Kelce’s leadership on and off the field.
New York Giants
2023 record: 6-11 (3rd NFC East)
2023 offense: 30th total points; 29th total yards
2023 defense: 26th points allowed; 27th yards allowed
Subtractions: RB Saquon Barkley, CB Adoree’ Jackson, S Xavier McKinney, QB Tyrod Taylor, OL Ben Bredeson
Additions: Edge Brian Burns, OG Jon Runyan Jr., OL Jermaine Eluemunor, WR Malik Nabers, S Tyler Nubin, CB Dru Phillips
Reason for optimism: Malik Nabers
Expectations are sky-high for the rookie receiver from LSU. It isn’t fair to Nabers, but the comparisons to Odell Beckham Jr.’s incandescent rookie season practically make themselves. But even if Nabers doesn’t quite rewrite the history books, he’s likely the best receiver the Giants have had since trading Beckham after the 2018 season. The Giants offense has been anemic since parting ways with Beckham, and the lack of threats through the air are a reason why. It has simply been too easy for opposing defenses to counter the Giants passing game, allowing them to play downhill and stifle the run as well.
The addition of Nabers could make life easier for the rest of the Giants’ receivers as well as their running backs. Improved offensive play will make it easier for what should be a very good defensive line to be disruptive.
Reason for pessimism: Which Daniel Jones will show up this season?
QB Daniel Jones has made a remarkable return from the torn ACL that ended his 2023 season. The team is hoping that improved receivers and offensive line play will allow him to take the step forward that they were expecting in 2023, instead of playing at the same level as Zach Wilson and Mac Jones before getting injured.
However, Jones failing to take a step forward and being as he has been — a consistently inconsistent quarterback with impressive flashes as well as poor decisions and inconsistent accuracy — could be the worst outcome for the Giants. That could land them in the same limbo in which they’ve found themselves over the last three seasons.
In many ways, that could be worse than just being flat-out bad.
Washington Commanders
2023 record: 4-13 (4th NFC East)
2023 offense: 25th total points; 24th total yards
2023 defense: 32nd points allowed; 32nd yards allowed
Subtractions: RB Antonio Gibson, S Kamren Curl, CB Kendall Fuller
Additions: OC Tyler Biadasz, LB Bobby Wagner, QB Jayden Daniels, iDL Jer’Zhan Newton, CB Mike Sainristil
Reason for optimism: A clean slate
Rookie QB Jayden Daniels is the easy call here. However, the fact that he could be entering a more stable and nurturing environment than any Washington QB in recent memory could be huge for his development.
Washington’s new ownership group will (hopefully) avoid the chaos and scandal that plagued the previous regime. Likewise, Dan Quinn knows what it takes to win in the NFL and saw how the Seahawks developed Russell Wilson during their back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Kliff Kingsbury has worked with young quarterbacks at the collegiate and NFL levels, and his familiarity with modern offense could help shorten Daniels’ learning curve. Washington has some talented skill position players, but their future is tied to Daniels’ development.
Reason for pessimism: The defense
Defensive play isn’t a particularly predictive stat when it comes to year over year success. That said, if Washington’s defense remains one of the very worst in the NFL, it could be bad news for Jayden Daniels.
Washington has avoided putting too much on Daniels’ plate early in his development, but that could go out the window if their defense is as porous in 2024 as it was in 2023. Daniels had issues with sack avoidance prior to 2023, and the defense forcing the offense into shootouts could expose him to too many hits as well as opportunities for mistakes. 2024 should be about building a foundation for Daniels, and asking him to carry the team right away could be a recipe for long-term disaster.
