NFC East Training Camp Preview: The Biggest Storylines for Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Commanders

Training camps open across the NFC East in the coming weeks, and all four teams arrive with real questions to answer. Dallas is chasing a healthier defense. New York is banking on a second-year quarterback and a first-year head coach. Philadelphia is replacing a star receiver and an entire offensive coaching staff. Washington needs its franchise quarterback back on the field. According to NFL.com’s Grant Gordon, camp battles at all four sites will start shaping the division’s pecking order well before Week 1.

Dallas Cowboys: Can the calm last?

The Cowboys went 7-9-1 in 2025 and are trying to snap a two-year playoff drought. Veterans and rookies report to the Marriott Residence Inn in Oxnard, California, on July 28, when owner Jerry Jones typically holds his lengthy season-opening press conference.

This offseason has been unusually quiet by Cowboys standards. There were minor contract disputes with receiver George Pickens and kicker Brandon Aubrey, but nothing resembling past Dallas drama — a shift even Emmitt Smith has praised. Pickens signed his franchise tag and says he won’t hold out, according to NFL.com.

The bigger intrigue is on defense. Dallas finished dead last in points allowed and 30th in total defense in 2025, a collapse that followed the trade of Micah Parsons and led to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus getting fired. New coordinator Christian Parker inherits a near-total overhaul: safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, cornerback Cobie Durant, and trades for pass rusher Rashan Gary and linebacker Dee Winters. First-round safety Caleb Downs, taken 11th overall out of Ohio State, is the highest defensive pick Dallas has made since Morris Claiborne in 2012 and has already drawn praise inside the building. Pass rusher Malachi Lawrence, the 23rd pick, joins a group that managed just 35 sacks last season — tied for 22nd in the league.

If Parker’s defense climbs back toward respectable, it takes pressure off a Dak Prescott offense that’s carried this team for years. Dallas’ 2021-23 playoff runs came when both sides of the ball ranked in the league’s top seven in scoring — a pairing the Cowboys haven’t had in a while.

New York Giants: Health and Dart’s development lead the way

New York is coming off a 4-13 season and now belongs to John Harbaugh, who arrives after 18 years running the Ravens. Rookies report July 23, veterans July 28, with camp split between East Rutherford, New Jersey, and The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The rocky part so far: injuries. Rookie cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, receiver Gunner Olszewski and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris each tore an Achilles during OTAs — a brutal blow for Robertson-Harris’ spot given the team already traded away Dexter Lawrence. Edge rusher Abdul Carter sprained his ankle in June. Receivers Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton and running back Cam Skattebo are all working back from injuries of their own, though Skattebo has said he expects to be ready for Week 1. With Harbaugh known for demanding practices, simply getting through camp intact matters as much as anything for New York.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart is the other headline. He took over from Russell Wilson last season, navigated a head-coaching change from Brian Daboll to interim Mike Kafka, and still finished with 24 total touchdowns as a rookie. Now under new head coach Matt Nagy, Dart’s second year is widely seen as the real test of whether he’s the long-term answer.

The Giants have also stacked four first-round picks across two drafts — Carter, Dart, linebacker Arvell Reese and lineman Francis Mauigoa — plus Day 2 additions receiver Malachi Fields and cornerback Colton Hood. This is a young roster trying to find its footing in Harbaugh’s first season.

Philadelphia Eagles: New offense, new receivers, one big defensive question

The defending division favorites went 11-6 in 2025 but exit an offseason with real turnover. Both rookies and veterans report July 28 to the Jefferson Health Training Complex in Philadelphia.

Jalen Hurts is working with his fourth different offensive coordinator in four years, now Sean Mannion. Philadelphia’s passing game ranked 23rd in yards last season, and the offense was held to 20 points or fewer in 10 games, including a 23-19 playoff loss to the 49ers. Longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is also gone. And A.J. Brown, who caught 5,034 yards worth of passes over four seasons in Philadelphia, was traded to the Patriots after months of simmering friction.

DeVonta Smith becomes the clear No. 1 target, with general manager Howie Roseman restocking the room via a trade for Dontayvion Wicks, the free-agent signing of Marquise Brown and the first-round selection of USC receiver Makai Lemon. Tight end Eli Stowers, a second-round pick out of Vanderbilt, adds another matchup weapon at 6-foot-4.

On defense, the biggest question is whether Jalen Carter stays. He’s reportedly seeking a major extension, which has fueled trade speculation — unconfirmed, and worth treating that way until something official surfaces. Vic Fangio returns as defensive coordinator, and losing Carter would be a significant setback for a scheme that’s added cornerback Tariq Woolen and pass rusher Jonathan Greenard this offseason.

Washington Commanders: All eyes on Jayden Daniels’ health

Washington went 5-12 a year after reaching the NFC Championship Game, largely because quarterback Jayden Daniels missed 10 games with a sprained knee, strained hamstring and dislocated elbow, going 2-5 when he did play, according to NFL.com. Rookies report July 24, veterans July 28, at Commanders Park in Ashburn, Virginia.

Daniels’ health is the top storyline entering camp, along with his adjustment to new offensive coordinator David Blough’s scheme, which will have him working under center more often. The defense also got a full makeover after finishing last in yards allowed: Washington drafted Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles seventh overall and signed pass rusher Odafe Oweh to a four-year, $100 million deal, among several other veteran additions on that side of the ball.

At the skill positions, receiver Terry McLaurin is trying to bounce back from a banged-up 2025, but the receiver room beyond him is thin — none of the other returning or newly signed wideouts topped 30 catches or 400 yards last season. Running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, coming off an 805-yard rookie year, projects as the lead back, with tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo brought in as a potential breakout piece after three straight 50-catch seasons in Tennessee.

Where the division stands

Philadelphia enters as the two-time defending division champion, but every team here has a legitimate path to contend if its biggest question mark breaks the right way. That’s what training camp exists to start sorting out.