The endless 245-day wait between meaningful football games is almost over for the Philadelphia Eagles as the 2026 NFL regular season draws closer, with the Washington Commanders invading Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia for Week 1 on September 13.
Each team in the NFC East has selected its opening-day roster and enters next weekend with renewed optimism that it will be the team standing tall in the division as the calendar flips to January 2027.
Last season, Philly finally broke a decades-long streak without a repeat champion in the NFC East, which dated back to the early 2000s, when the Andy Reid-coached Eagles won four straight division titles between 2001 and 2004. This season, the Eagles will look to capture a third straight NFC East title, which would put the group in elite territory as the only other squad in franchise history (alongside Reid’s group) that can claim a streak of division titles.
The Eagles' offense will go as far as the health of the offensive line takes them, but the primary weapons are Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Keep an eye on new wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, an offseason arrival from the Green Bay Packers, who drew high praise from his teammates when the Up and Adams Show rolled through town in August. With the A.J. Brown distraction gone from the locker room, it should be fun to watch Hurts lead this hungry group of talented offensive players.
The 2026 campaign will surely present its fair share of challenges to the Eagles' championship dreams. If healthy, Philadelphia possesses one of the top defenses in the NFL behind Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Zack Baun, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean. All six are Super Bowl Champions who helped dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty in a 40-22 win at Super Bowl LIX in 2025.
Nick Sirianni’s team has posted a double-digit win total in each of the last four seasons, including two trips to the Super Bowl and one triumphant parade down Broad Street. The Eagles have followed the same formula since his arrival: a Wild Card exit followed by a Super Bowl appearance. Philly lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round in 2021, lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, lost to Tampa Bay again in the WC round in 2023, avenged the loss against the Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX, and lost to San Francisco in the WC round in 2025.
So, I’m not recommending booking your Southern California hotel for Super Bowl LXI after finishing this article … but the data indicates that a warm vacation to sunny Los Angeles, California seems like a lovely way to break up an icy, freezing Philadelphia winter. It would be much cheaper to plan a trip now than last minute, as prices skyrocket with the anticipation of one of America’s premier sporting events.
Philadelphia’s top rival, the Dallas Cowboys, are expected to bring the fiercest competition in the division behind an overhauled defense that features Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Von Miller. Rookie Caleb Downs could make an immediate impact at safety in Christian Parker’s defense. The Eagles' former defensive back coach receives his first shot to call an NFL defense in the pressure-cooker that is Dallas, Texas. Surely, those fans will be kind and understanding if his defense doesn’t hit the ground running right away, right?
The offense still features explosive potential, led by Dak Prescott and his bloated $60M salary for the next three seasons. Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, KaVontae Turpin, and Jake Ferguson all return with the hope this is finally the year an offense led by their 33-year-old QB puts it all together and leads them on a deep playoff run (spoiler alert: It won’t be).
After a pair of seven-win seasons, Dallas could join the Eagles in the double-digit win category if they can navigate a whole season without imploding. Or a Cowboys player could just as easily stumble over a discarded turkey leg during a win celebration (over the Eagles) at Jerry World on Thanksgiving Day, forever altering the course of their season. I’ve warned the cleanup team here, so don’t blame me when that "unfortunate" situation occurs!
The John Harbaugh-era on Broadway gets underway as he looks to transform last year’s four-win New York Giants squad into a competitive franchise once again. New York features several promising players on offense, including Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. Isaiah Likely, a receiving TE, arrives as a high-priced free agent addition on a three-year, $40 million contract. However, he should help be an on-field teacher for Harbaugh’s offense after excelling under the head coach since arriving in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022.
New York’s new sideline boss selected Dennard Wilson to run the defense after two seasons with a rebuilding Tennessee Titans squad. Wilson was the defensive backs coach in Baltimore in 2022, so he should be familiar with how Harbargh likes his defense to operate. First-rounder Arvell Reese needs to mesh quickly with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux if the Giants hope to find success in 2026.
Fans in the Big Apple aren’t likely to experience the pain of another four-win season this winter, but a sudden turnaround to a double-digit-win and playoff squad seems optimistic for Big Blue. New York is slowly cultivating a contender, but Harbaugh likely needs a season to install his system. If the team can execute his game plan early in the season, the Giants suddenly become a team to worry about in the division race.
Perhaps no team has consistently disappointed NFL fans more than the Washington Commanders. Two seasons ago, rookie Jayden Daniels had the Commanders primed for repeated playoff appearances, showcasing more potential than Hurts in his rookie campaign.
As things often do in Washington, the situation deteriorated while the team regressed to a disastrous 5-12 record in 2025. It will be up to Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Chig Okonkwo, and Jacory Corskey-Merritt to get Washington’s offense on track in front of a rebuilt defense.
New general manager Adam Peters signed Odafe Oweh to a $100 million free-agent contract and selected linebacker Sunny Styles with the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to be the focal points of the new group. False-starting linebacker Frankie Luvu still roams the middle of the field, but are Jeremy Reaves and Nick Cross behind him a talented enough safety group to stop talented wide receiver rooms around the NFC East?
The Commanders group could certainly surprise, but it still feels like a chaotic situation in Washington. Until the front office (and/or ownership) can sort that situation out, it becomes incredibly hard to believe Washington will suddenly return to prominence this fall. It seems more likely they replicate their low win total and start the rebuilding process all over again next summer. At that point, it's time to consider dealing their once-promising star QB (Daniels) while he still has some trade value left in his rookie contract.
The NFC East could end up being a wild scrap between a few teams if the squads around the division each reach their full potential. That rarely happens over the course of a season as the strong clubs persevere, while the weak teams crumble like a cookie in a toddler's hands.
Nick Sirianni has demonstrated the ability to get his team to perform at a playoff-caliber level during his first five seasons with the Midnight Green logo on his shirt.
The rest of the division still has much to prove. Harbaugh showcased the ability to win games in Baltimore, but now he needs to work a miracle under the world's brightest spotlights in Manhattan.
Brian Schottenheimer must show he is capable of leading the Cowboys to more than seven wins as he enters his second season under the watchful eye of Jerry Jones.
Finally, Dan Quinn has to find a way to restore the magic of the Commanders squad that reached the 2025 NFC Championship Game. The Morristown, New Jersey-born coach owns a 17-17 record after that impressive 12-win campaign two seasons ago.
Anything can happen in professional sports. It's one of the reasons fans get psyched up for a new season each and every year. Eagles supporters have good reason to believe they will be hanging another new banner (or two) next fall at Lincoln Financial Field.
