NFC East once again loaded as Commanders look to gain ground

The NFC East was the toughest division in football a year ago. Three of its four teams made the playoffs, and the fourth-place Washington Commanders finished at .500. Together, the squads combined for a .647 winning percentage — the third-best division mark in NFL history, according to StatMuse. 

There should be no letup this year. 

Other divisions in the NFL may be slightly more appealing. Aaron Rodgers’ arrival to the New York Jets added a new level of glamour to the AFC East. The AFC North also figures to be a tough out, especially if the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns are better than they were in 2022. 

But once again, the NFC East is seen as the NFL’s football crucible. No team has won the division back to back since the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003 and 2004. But if that trend is ever to be broken, this year is the year. 

The Eagles — coming off a 14-3 regular season that resulted in a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — have all the pieces. Philadelphia, even after losing both of its top coordinators to head coaching jobs in the offseason, brings back one of the league’s best rosters. 

The Cowboys, though, could make a serious push for the division. The Cowboys were 12-5 in 2022, and they spent the offseason adding wide receiver Brandin Cooks to give quarterback Dak Prescott more help. Dallas hopes to cut down on Prescott’s interceptions (15 last year), and the Cowboys now have coach Mike McCarthy calling the plays instead of Kellen Moore — the offensive coordinator who bolted for the Chargers.

With no breaks in the division, that puts an emphasis on teams having to win games that they’re favored to win. The Commanders, for instance, open the season against the lowly Arizona Cardinals, a team that spent the offseason tearing down its roster to start a rebuild.

Commanders coach Ron Rivera, who enters the year on the hot seat, said he feels confident about his group.

“I always ask myself that question … ‘Am I seeing what I really am seeing or is this what I hope to see?’” Rivera said. “I sit there and I watch the tape from practice and when I see those flashes that tell you this is what we’ve been working toward, you feel real comfortable, real good about it.”

Oddsmakers aren’t high on Washington’s chances of making much noise this season. The team’s projected win total was set at 6½, the worst in the division. But Rivera and Co. are banking on the arrival of offensive Eric Bieniemy, a leap from second-year quarterback Sam Howell and an elite defense as reasons for surpassing expectations. The Commanders haven’t won the NFC East since 2020, doing so with a below .500 record at 7-9. 

If there’s an NFC East team that does regress in 2023 besides the Commanders, then the best candidate to do so would be the New York Giants. The Giants took the NFL by surprise last year when first-year coach Brian Daboll led New York to a playoff appearance thanks to his creative offensive play-calling and an aggressive all-out defense from coordinator Wink Martindale. But peak behind the curtains and there are reasons why New York could be worse this year. 

Primarily, the Giants were in 13 games decided by eight points or fewer — tied with three others for the most in the NFL. Eight of the Giants’ nine wins came in that fashion, and history has shown that teams typically regress the following year when they depend on a narrow margin for victories. 

Still, the Giants have upgraded their supporting cast — a reason why New York might avoid a setback in 2023. New York’s best move was to trade for tight end Darren Waller, who instantly became a top playmaker for quarterback Daniel Jones. 

All four teams in the division were busy in the offseason. The Eagles gave quarterback Jalen Hurts a record five-year, $255 million contract, and the Giants also locked down Jones on a four-year, $160 million deal. The Cowboys, beyond trading for Cooks, added on defense by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore and edge rusher Dante Fowler on one-year deals. The Commanders — on top of being sold to billionaire Josh Harris — overhauled their offensive line with two veteran signings, and re-signed star defensive tackle Daron Payne. 

In retrospect, it was obvious why the teams were so active. The transactions were part of an arm’s race to keep competitive in a loaded division.