The Cowboys will enter the 2026 season having not won the NFC East for two years. Will that change in 2026?
The NFC East, at least right now, looms as an impossible task to pick at this stage of the offseason, and the Dallas Cowboys might be the beneficiary of that.
With the Philadelphia Eagles repeating as NFC East champs in 2025, the first time a team has managed that feat in two decades, one can expect Nick Sirianni's team to be the favorites entering 2026.
Brian Schottenheimer's Cowboys appear to ever so slightly be on the upswing, and depending on how the franchise fares in free agency and the draft, could have all the tools to end the Eagles' division dominance.
The New York Giants could be anything under John Harbaugh, and, provided injuries don't derail things, could be a sticky challenge.
And the Washington Commanders, much like New York, are an enigma with Jayden Daniels. What are we going to get in 2026? A blistering rookie-like season, or the 5-12 year we had in 2025?
Well, Josh Nagel of CBS Sports has used DraftKings' division odds in his latest piece, and when it comes to the NFC East, the order is what you would expect.
- Philadelphia Eagles -110
- Dallas Cowboys +475
- Washington Commanders +500
- New York Giants +700
As expected, the Eagles are the clear favorites, but we say that tentatively.
Why? Because Philadelphia feels very combustible right now.
A.J. Brown could be traded away, the Eagles' famed offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, has quit, and we know it doesn't take much for the franchise to spiral out of control.
In truth, this could be a rather even NFC East race in 2026, and for the Cowboys, if there ever were a chance to climb back to the top of the NFC East mountain, this could be it.
The Giants and Commanders feel like they aren't quite there (yet), and the Eagles, well, who knows with them.
That leaves the Cowboys with a chance, if they play free agency and the draft right, to significantly close the gap on Philadelphia and take what most think is their rightful place atop the NFC East.
Yes, the Eagles deserve to be the favorites, but the Cowboys should be nipping at their heels in 2026.