What must each NFC East team do to reach the Super Bowl?

The NFC East is never short on noise, but as we look ahead to the 2026 season, the stakes feel louder than ever.

If you squint hard enough, it’s possible to see how each team has a plausible path to the Super Bowl. But they each also have a glaring flaw that could derail them just as quickly.

Here’s what Dallas, Philadelphia, New York and Washington must fix, nail or survive to reach the NFL’s grandest stage.

Dallas Cowboys

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The decision to trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the season dominated discourse surrounding the Cowboys for much of last year. The loss of one of the most gifted and dynamic pass rushers of a generation left Dallas ineffective defensively and without a tangible identity on that side of the ball.

The mid-season acquisition of star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams helped shore up their front seven, but they were still let down by one of the worst secondaries in the NFL.

On offense, the Cowboys were electric, led by quarterback Dak Prescott and with the receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens (who is heading for free agency).

If they can retain Pickens and address their lack of competent defensive backs via the draft or free agency, Dallas will have the ingredients for a deep post-season run.

Philadelphia Eagles

As far as the Eagles are concerned, the talent is all there. The reigning NFC East champions still boast arguably the most complete roster in the league and, just a season on from their dominant victory over the Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX, they understand what it takes to win the big one.

Philadelphia’s issue is the disharmony that has crept into their locker room.

Wide receiver AJ Brown was openly – and very publicly – disgruntled for much of last season, head coach Nick Sirianni is no stranger to a sideline spat with his players and the apparently acrimonious departure of offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland – whose contribution to the Eagles’ recent success should not be understated – is worrying.

So what do the Eagles need to do to win the Super Bowl next season? They need to get on the same page and cut out the drama.

New York Giants

The Giants will take inspiration from the miraculous turnaround the New England Patriots made this past season to go from being a four-win team in 2024 to reaching the Super Bowl.

Like New England last year, New York will enter the 2026 campaign with a hyper-talented second-year quarterback in Jaxson Dart and an authoritative, experienced and successful new head coach in John Harbaugh.

There is no shortage of talent elsewhere on the Giants’ roster, too, with the likes of Malik Nabers, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter making up a surprisingly impressive group of elite stars considering the team’s under-performance in 2025.

Yet, New York lacks depth in several key areas (interior defensive line, wide receiver, cornerback) and would require an enormous leap to reach contender status. Next season will be all about simply improving to the level of competence for the Giants. Achieve that, then they can start to dream about the Lombardi Trophy.

Washington Commanders

A year ago, Commanders fans might have envisioned their team in place of the Seahawks and Patriots. Fresh off a run to the NFC Championship game and led by a young quarterback who’d produced perhaps the greatest rookie season we’d ever seen, Washington were the NFL’s rising force.

Yet after a season of bad injury luck, key players rapidly ageing out of their prime and coaching upheaval, they have regressed significantly.

For the Commanders to contend again in 2026, they need new coordinator Dan Blough to revitalise an offense that had grown stagnant under Kliff Kingsbury, plus they will be crossing their fingers for an injury-free campaign for Jayden Daniels.