With each team's 53-man roster and all three preseason games in the rearview mirror, the countdown to the official start of the 2026-27 NFL season has officially reached single digits.

With two new coordinators, six new draft picks and nine major free-agent signings in the mix, there's a lot for Commanders fans to get excited about ahead of Washington's Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Part of the heightened emotions for fans are tied to the return of quarterback Jayden Daniels — it will be the first time Daniels will play the division rival since the 2025 NFC Championship.

With each NFC East team playing a division game so early, questions arise regarding the state of each team. If it hasn't already been observed while watching the Commanders over the past two seasons, it's worth noting that no team is the same from season to season. The smallest adjustments to a roster or coaching staff can cause the biggest changes, so let's take a look around the NFC East to take stock of what to expect from the division ahead of Week 1.

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6-0; No. 1 in NFC East, eliminated in Wild Card round)

The Eagles were the only team from the NFC East to make it to the postseason, nabbing the division title and ending a 21-year streak without a repeat winner. Although their one-and-done postseason run was nothing to write home about, the Eagles have built a strong foundation over the past couple of seasons that they will surely continue to build on coming into this season.

While much of the Eagles' roster is the same, the offense experienced the most change in the offseason. Philadelphia parted ways with offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who served in the position for just one season. Sean Mannion, who had stints as an NFL quarterback and on the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff, will take the reins and operate as a first-time play caller.

The Eagles' offense struggled under Patullo, finishing No. 24 in total offense at 311.2 yards a game and No. 19 in scoring at 22.3 points a game. Standout running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for a career-high 2,005 yards on 345 carries during the 2024-25 season, was held to 1,140 yards on 280 carries last season. While a 1,000-yard season is nothing to fret about, the drop in Barkley's production under Patullo is just one example of the offensive issues the Eagles faced last season.

Mannion has a “heavy influence” from the Shanahan coaching tree, according to the Eagles' website. That means the Eagles will likely shift to a more outside-zone run scheme with more play action and confusing pre-snap motions. Barkley's skill set meshes well with a heavy play-action offense, although it could take some time for the offensive line to adjust to the new style.

Philadelphia's biggest loss this season is star wide receiver AJ Brown, who was traded to the New England Patriots on June 1 for a first-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Brown played in and started 15 games for the Eagles last season, notching 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. The 29-year-old has had at least 1,000 yards in seven of his eight seasons in the NFL and won Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles in 2025.

Wide receiver DeVonta Smith will take over the No. 1 wide receiver spot in Brown's absence, which opens up the conversation surrounding who Philadelphia's second wide receiver could be. The biggest veteran names currently on the roster that have been floated are Dontayvion Wicks or Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, each of whom brings a different skill set to the position.

Wicks, who was acquired in a trade with the Packers, is the most likely option given his successful training camp and familiarity with the new Mannion offense. Brown took on more of a situational role in his past two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, which is likely to continue for him. A joint dislocation that required surgery in the 2024 preseason limited Brown to just two games, and his production (49 receptions for 587 yards in 16 games in 2025-26) hasn't been the same since.

Another option down the line for Philadelphia could be Makai Lemon. The Eagles selected Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with the hopes of him becoming an offensive mainstay once he develops and acclimates to the NFL. The rookie out of USC suffered a hamstring injury early in training camp, however, which caused him to miss nine practices and two preseason games. The missed time has likely set him back in terms of his physical adjustment to the pros, although he's been participating in huddles to sharpen the mental aspect, learning quarterback Jalen Hurts' cadence and voice cues.

Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1; No. 2 in NFC East, eliminated from postseason contention)

Despite a losing record, the Cowboys managed to go 4-2 in the division and held onto the No. 2 spot in the NFC East last season. The biggest hindrance to the Cowboys was their defense, which is something Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer have been working to shore up this offseason.

The biggest defensive addition is a new coordinator following the offseason firing of Matt Eberflus after a one-year stint. Dallas hired Christian Parker, a first-time defensive coordinator despite 13 years of coaching experience in the NFL. The youngest DC in franchise history at 34 years old, Parker comes from within the division, having spent the past two seasons with the Eagles as their defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach.

Parker has plenty of talent to work with, starting with defensive back Caleb Downs. The No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft already seems to be comfortable playing at the professional level, picking off quarterback Dak Prescott in training camp on Aug. 25. Although he didn't get a ton of preseason action, Downs is slated to start Week 1. He's joined on defense by new addition and former Commanders linebacker Von Miller, who had 20-plus tackles (26 in 17 games) last season for the first time since 2022 (21 in 12 games for Buffalo).

Paired with defensive contributors like Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, DaRon Bland, Rashan Gary and Jalen Thompson, the Cowboys' defense looks much stronger on paper than it did last season. Parker should be able to turn around the Cowboys' No. 30 defense (359.5 average yards, 49 touchdowns allowed per game) with that squad, as long as they can stay healthy.

The newest announcement out of the Cowboys organization is that they will be rolling with four team captains after naming six last season. The captains — Prescott, Williams, Clark and kicker Brandon Aubrey — were chosen via player voting, according to Schottenheimer.

The choices of Williams and Clark specifically speak to the impact the pair have had in a short time with the team and the priority the defense has in the minds of those in the locker room. Williams was acquired in a splash trade with the New York Jets for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith on Nov. 4. Similarly, Clark was acquired with two first-round picks as part of the blockbuster trade with the Packers for linebacker Micah Parsons on Aug. 28, 2025.

Although the defense was a heavy focal point for Dallas in the offseason, the offense also made some key additions. The biggest was the franchise tag placed on wide receiver George Pickens, who had a career-high 93 receptions for 1,429 yards in 17 games as the No. 2 wide receiver.

Combined with Lamb’s 75 receptions for 1,077 yards in 14 games, those two were the reason the Cowboys' offense finished No. 2 in the NFL overall (391.2 average offensive yards, 51 touchdowns) and in pass offense (266.3 average passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns). They will be complemented on the ground by Javonte Williams, Malik Davis and the newly signed Emari Demercado, who was picked up after being waived by the Chiefs.

New York Giants (4-13-0; No. 4 in NFC East, eliminated from postseason contention)

The Giants have by far undergone the most dramatic coaching changes in the division, starting with the firing of head coach Brian Daboll in November after New York got out to a 2-8 start last season. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka took over in the interim, although the team ultimately decided to pivot in the offseason, hiring longtime Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

The 18-season NFL head coach reached the postseason 12 times with Baltimore, most notably winning Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 against his brother Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers. In contrast, the Giants have made the playoffs just two times since the 2011 season, when they won Super Bowl XLVI, and have had just one winning campaign (2023; 9-6-1) since 2016.

Harbaugh is hoping to turn things around for the Big Blue and instill his formula of winning football, and it's clear that some of his former players have that belief, too. Six players followed Harbaugh to New York — tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard, defensive tackle C.J. Okoye, punter Jordan Stout, defensive back Ar'Darius Washington and guard Daniel Faalele (traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars).

The flashiest signing is probably that of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a Giants' legend for his famed one-handed catch in the end zone in 2014. Beckham also played under Harbaugh for a season in Baltimore, technically making him the seventh player to follow the coach to New York. At 33 years old, Beckham will once again be wearing No. 13 for New York, although further down the depth chart than the last time he donned a Giants jersey in 2018.

The appointments of Dennard Wilson and Matt Nagy as defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively, complete Harbaugh's staff. Nagy comes by way of Kansas City, where he had been the OC since 2023. Like Harbaugh, he comes from the Andy Reid coaching tree and prefers an offense with lots of pre-snap motion, screen passes and keeping the quarterback under center.

Wilson has been the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for the past two years and brings 14 years of NFL coaching experience with him. He has worked with Harbaugh before, serving as the Ravens' defensive backs coach in 2023. Wilson's brand of defense follows four pillars — unpredictable, dynamic, decisive and unapologetic — according to the man himself. He's inheriting a defense that allowed a League-high 5.3 yards per carry and finished No. 26 in points allowed per game, tied for No. 15 in total team sacks, and was mid-tier versus the pass, ranking No. 16 in opponent pass yards per game.

It's also a defense that lost nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. With that pick and the No. 5 overall selection, New York drafted two players in the first round, starting with inside linebacker Arvell Reese, followed by offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

Reese quickly established himself as a defensive asset for the team in training camp, playing 22 snaps next to veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds across two preseason games. Mauigoa was the natural pick for the Giants' starting right guard, and he proved himself when he didn’t allow a quarterback pressure on 23 pass-blocking snaps in two preseason appearances.

The most important facet to the Giants' success this season is their health. Injuries took a large toll on the team's overall offensive production, starting with the injury to standout wide receiver Malik Nabers, who tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 4. The injury required surgery, and then Nabers underwent a second clean-up procedure on the knee in May. It's still uncertain whether Nabers will be ready to go come Sunday Night Football, which would be a major blow.

Running back Cam Skattebo shattered his leg in Week 8, an injury that made him consider retiring after his rookie year. Quarterback Jaxson Dart made five trips to the blue medical tent in 10 games last season and missed two games with a concussion. He already took a big hit and was evaluated for a concussion in the Giants' preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, although he was quickly cleared and returned to play. Veteran Jameis Winston is a fun backup option, but Dart's presence under center is preferable.