(Editor's Note: In the upcoming weeks before the start of training camp, the staff of DallasCowboys.com is looking to answer the 20 biggest questions facing the team heading into the 2024 season. Today, the staff writers continue the series by identifying a pivotal game on the schedule.)
8) How has the division closed the gap?
Nick Harris: The downside to every team in the division not named Dallas finishing the season miserably in 2023? Well, higher draft positions for each. Washington took full advantage under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, starting up top with Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels. Philadelphia added star draftees in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to a secondary in dire need of their services while also keeping Saquon Barkley in the division on offense. New York added a potential rookie of the year candidate in wide receiver Malik Nabers, but can Daniel Jones stay on the field to fully take advantage of that new weapon? I think the division has certainly taken a step forward with young talent. It will now come down to those teams maximizing.
Kyle Youmans: This is a peculiar question, mostly because the other teams in the NFC East have all closed the gap in their own unique way. Washington closed the gap by revamping their entire coaching staff and roster with a complete overhaul from last season. Dan Quinn brought in Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as the defensive coordinator, all before they spent a massive amount in free agency. This, paired with their draft class and a possible franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels, makes Washington a true wild card. New York closed the gap by doubling down on a coaching staff and quarterback that severely underachieved last season. And Philadelphia was somewhere in the middle with coaching changes, spending in free agency, and a youth movement after several veterans moved on. Who really closed the gap the most? I'd say time will tell, but Philly is the closest despite all their own questions.
Patrik Walker: To me, it's still a division that is a two-horse race between the Cowboys and the Eagles, at least until further notice. That doesn't mean the Giants and Commanders won't compete though, because we know anything can happen within the NFC East, but it's more so the Commanders that present the more immediate threat. That's because they've undergone a full regime change but, more importantly, it's who they brought in to change things: Dan Quinn. Familiarity with McCarthy's thought process on offense could help the Commanders in their bouts to come against Dallas, not to mention the siphoning of Dante Fowler and Dorance Armstrong to their ranks in Washington. Toss in second-overall pick Jayden Daniels to tandem with Terry McLaurin and it does appear the Commanders have a voice in the division this year.
Nick Eatman: It does appear that way. But then again, it's been 20 years since any team in the NFC East has won the division back to back years. So this would be nothing new. It's not like other divisions where we've seen a team dominate for a while. Judging off what we saw with the free-agent moves teams made and didn't make, it would appear as if the other NFC East teams have gotten better, at least to the point of closing the gap. The big question here is how much the Eagles have improved, relative to the Cowboys. You would have to think both the Commanders and Giants got better, because it's hard for them to get much worse.
