Fact or Fiction: 2024 NFC East Preview

Dallas is the biggest challenger to winning the NFC East.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – I am going to go with Philadelphia, but this is a close call. The Eagles return a team that is just as talented as last year’s. The team’s collapse at the end of 2023 concerns me, but the talent is still there and their decision to bring in two coordinators in Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore should make a difference. The Cowboys have added Mike Zimmer to replace Dan Quinn as their defensive coordinator, but they have more than a half-dozen key losses. The edge goes to the Eagles.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – In every other division, I would go with fact. But this particular division has not had a repeat champion since the Eagles won four in a row from 2001-2004.

Matt Citak: Fiction – It’s tough to go against last year’s division winner, especially after the Cowboys won 12 games, but the Eagles get the edge here. While Philadelphia did lose a couple of key contributors, such as Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox, they also added some valuable pieces on both sides of the ball. Saquon Barkley could help take the Eagles offense to the next level, while the additions of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the secondary should help improve the Eagles’ biggest weakness from last season.

Washington will be the most improved team on the Giants’ schedule.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – I am going to go with the Atlanta Falcons, and it has everything to do with Kirk Cousins. The rest of the roster was always strong, and now they have a quarterback who will give them a steady, high level of play. With the weapons already on the roster, I expect them to challenge for the division. The Carolina Panthers are a good runner-up with a new coaching staff helping Bryce Young develop with an improved offensive line and wide receiver corps. I expect Young could be the most improved player in the league this year.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Look at what C.J. Stroud did for the Texans last year and Aidan Hutchinson for the Lions the season before that. There’s no reason Daniels can’t add to the recent run on No. 2 overall picks.

Matt Citak: Fiction – Between the additions of Dan Quinn at head coach and Jayden Daniels at quarterback, the Commanders will certainly be a better team in 2024 than they were last year. But even with some improvement, they still fall short of the Atlanta Falcons. Adding Kirk Cousins to an offense that already featured Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, along with PFF’s No. 6 offensive line, could help elevate this unit to one of the best in the league. The Falcons went 7-10 last year, but with Cousins now under center, they are the pretty heavy favorites to win the NFC South. The Week 16 matchup in Atlanta could end up being one of the Giants’ tougher games of the second half of the season.