The Dallas Cowboys look to have a real shot at winning the NFC East in 2026. Their offensive nucleus is still in place and their defense has improved considerably from the disaster of a unit they had with Matt Eberflus in 2025. And they now have the right defensive coordinator in place in Christian Parker.
It's hard to think the Cowboys don't have a real shot of returning to the postseason. The issue lies with the division itself. You can genuinely argue that the NFC East is the toughest division in the NFL, as all four teams in the division have a real shot of either winning the division or making the playoffs.
In recent years, the Philadelphia Eagles have been the team to beat, but I see them as a team about to plateau despite replacing Kevin Patullo with Sean Mannion. A.J. Brown is about to be traded, so even though they replaced him with Makai Lemon, I expect the Philadelphia offense to be just okay. Another NFC East team is standing in the way of Dallas' true contender status: the New York Giants
The Giants may be becoming a threat to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East
Jalen Hurts isn't that good, either. He won a Super Bowl, but he isn't the player or on the team Cowboys fans should worry about. I'd say it's Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, but he can't stay healthy and Dan Quinn is on the hot seat, so by process of elimination let's discuss the New York Giants.
The Giants are quietly having one of the best offseasons in the NFL. They considerably upgraded at head coach, going from Brian Daboll (and later Mike Kafka) to John Harbaugh. Picking up a Super Bowl-winning coach who will basically reset your culture overnight was just the tip of the iceberg.
Despite trading Dexter Lawrence, Big Blue also got a lot better in free agency and during the 2026 NFL Draft. They picked up instant-impact veterans like Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, and D.J. Reader in free agency, and finally bolstered the trenches with both of their 2026 first-round picks.
The Giants may have passed on Caleb Downs twice (thanks for that) ,but landed two potential franchise cornerstones in Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa. From there, they landed two other Day 1 starters in Colton Hood and Malachi Fields, and seem to finally be heading in the correct direction.
The Cowboys have been looked at as the favorite to finish in second behind the Eagles, who have been running the show. But Harbaugh's impact has already been felt in New York, and since they finally have a vision, it should be scary to know that they'll pose a threat to Dallas once again.
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