For more than a decade, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have dominated the NFC East, winning the division title nine times since 2016. The New York Giants haven’t conquered the East since 2011 — Odell Beckham Jr., now in his second stint with the team, was still a freshman at LSU — while the Washington Commanders’ only division crown in that span came in 2020, when they finished a paltry 7-9.Suffice it to say, apart from a few rare bright spots, it’s been a rough decade for the Giants and Commanders. But perhaps now is the season of change? The Giants brought in new coach John Harbaugh to raise the floor on their enterprise, while the Commanders will see the return of a healthy Jayden Daniels, the quarterback who took the league by storm and led Washington to the NFC Championship Game just two seasons ago.There is plenty of reason for both franchises to enter the 2026 season feeling optimistic, but will it lead to a changing of the guard in the East? To discuss that and a few other key topics, we’ve enlisted some of our NFC East beat writers to answer four questions as we enter Week 1.Will the Eagles three-peat as NFC East Champions?Charlotte CarrollFill in the blanks. We’ve been talking all offseason about ___. In Week 1, we’ll finally get to see ___.Zach Berman (Eagles): We’ve been talking all offseason about Sean Mannion’s offense. In Week 1, we’ll finally see if the new offensive coordinator and biggest scheme change in Nick Sirianni’s time as head coach make a difference. The Eagles have enlisted a new play caller at the start of the season again — it’s been every season in Sirianni’s six-year tenure and Jalen Hurts’ six years as the starting quarterback — after underachieving last season and falling into the bottom half of the league in points and efficiency. In comes Mannion, who’s 34 and only in his third season as a coach. The former NFL backup quarterback has roots in the McVay/Shanahan systems, so you’ll see a major change in the scheme. The Eagles will spend more time under center; they’ve adopted a wide-zone running style; and there will be a higher usage of presnap motion. These changes have been apparent throughout the summer, but Week 1 will reveal how well the players — Hurts chief among them — have adjusted to the new scheme.Charlotte Carroll (Giants): After more than half a year of speculating about what a Harbaugh-coached team will look like on the field in New York, we’ll finally get to see it Sunday night. What we think we’ll see, based on Harbaugh’s very deliberate and grueling training camp, is a more physical group that is less likely to beat itself with stupid mistakes. As one veteran Giants player said recently, the practices have been the longest during his time in New York, but they’ve also been the most efficient. We’ll see how those practices end up translating to the field Sunday night, but there’s no question it’s a new era in New York. Now we just need to see what that new era will entail.Nicki Jhabvala (Commanders): We spent the early part of the offseason speculating about the Commanders’ receiving corps and the latter part concerned about their offensive line. Washington’s offense is, and may always be, the focus, no matter how much the team invests in its defense. Training camp reinforced much of what we already knew: Daniels is still the real deal at QB — his command of the system, accuracy and leadership all took leaps from last season — and new coordinator David Blough’s offense is designed to have him take fewer hits and rely more heavily on a balanced run game. In short: The Commanders want Daniels to be Daniels and not Superman. The question is whether he has enough support to do that. The addition of veteran receiver Stefon Diggs certainly helped, but the loss of left tackle Laremy Tunsil (triceps), minimal practice time for center Nick Allegretti (calf) and limited depth on the interior O-line have created plenty of skepticism. Week 1 in Philadelphia will be a significant test for this group, but it won’t get any easier thereafter.Jon Machota (Cowboys): It’s all about the defensive improvements. The Cowboys are basically returning everything on offense. It was one of the NFL’s best last season, and there’s no reason to expect that to change this year. The defense, however, was arguably the worst in franchise history. The Cowboys overhauled that side of the ball, most notably with the hiring of first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker. The personnel has also been significantly adjusted, with at least five new starters and improved depth. But most of the key contributors didn’t play much, if at all, during the preseason. Week 1 is going to tell us a lot more about how much Parker’s group can turn things around. They don’t have to be a top-10 defense for the Cowboys to make the playoffs, but they have to be at least middle of the pack. The ingredients are there to make it happen.Tell us what’s at stake this season for the team you cover. If things don’t go well, what could be the fallout?Berman: It’s all relative. The Eagles have made the playoffs every season under Sirianni, but in Philadelphia, a first-round exit falls under the category of “things didn’t go well.” (Remember the staff changes after the last two first-round exits!) With other teams, a playoff appearance could earn you a contract extension. But if there’s regression from the Eagles, the focus will be less on another coordinator change and more on the coach-quarterback combination. Both Sirianni and Hurts hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, which is a trump card for any criticism. But does it have an expiration date? Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has demonstrated that coaching decisions are more about trajectory than accomplishments. Regression, such as missing the playoffs, could put Sirianni’s future in question even if he is indisputably one of the most accomplished coaches in the NFL. This is also applicable to Hurts. The guaranteed money on his contract wanes in 2027. The Eagles likely need to make a decision whether to offer him a contract extension. Another year of offensive regression would complicate his future.Carroll: Giants fans are all too familiar with what it looks like when things don’t go well. Since 2017, they’ve had just one season with more than six wins (nine in 2022). Beyond seasonal heartbreak, all that losing has also meant a lot of turnover with the coaching staff; Harbaugh is the franchise’s fifth head coach since 2017. This year is yet another reset but with a different kind of coach at the top: one with a nearly two-decades long resume as a head coach with a Super Bowl ring to his name. Barring an epic disaster, Harbaugh’s job isn’t on the line in a season that is more about establishing a new culture. Of course, we’ll need to see how good the football can actually be, but the bar being raised above embarrassingly bad shouldn’t be too much to ask or too tall of an order for a coach like Harbaugh.Jhabvala: Everything? After making it to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, the Commanders came unglued in ’25 to finish 5-12. Injuries played a big part in their disappointing season, but their issues were widespread. Year 3 for Dan Quinn could determine his future in Washington, and he’s taking a gamble by turning to two first-time NFL play callers in Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. Without significant improvement this season, the Commanders could very well be searching for a new head coach, which could mean new systems, new assistants, more roster turnover and another year lost with Daniels on his rookie contract.Machota: This is a playoff-caliber roster. Falling short of the postseason for a third consecutive year would be a huge disappointment. But even that would unlikely bring sweeping changes. Team owners Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones and QB Dak Prescott aren’t going anywhere. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and rookie safety Caleb Downs will still be the face of the defense entering next season. It’s likely that coach Brian Schottenheimer would still get a third season as long as 2026 is not an epic disaster. So, the biggest change would likely involve wide receiver George Pickens not being with the Cowboys in 2027. And that could happen even if it’s a good year. He’s under the franchise tag, and it’s still undetermined if they will find a way to get him signed long term after the season. If he plays like he did last year, earning All-Pro honors, it’s tough to see Jerry Jones letting him leave the building. But if the wins aren’t there, that could lead Dallas in a different direction.Who’s the player not enough people are talking about who’s going to make a big impact for the team you cover?Berman: I could give you breakout candidates such as edge rusher Jalyx Hunt or explain how wide receiver DeVonta Smith could see a major jump in production after the A.J. Brown trade, but I’ll go with a superstar for this question who for some reason has been under-discussed this summer: Saquon Barkley. There’s been so much focus on the Eagles’ passing game, Hurts and the wide receivers, but this offense’s success will be based on the run. They are going to be committed to running, and Barkley and the offensive line carried the offense to the Super Bowl in 2024. Barkley rushed for 1,140 yards last season — a down year, based on the 2,005-yard campaign in 2024 — and he’s entering his age-29 season. The scheme change could bring different elements to his running style, especially if he can race around the edge. Barkley’s runs of 20-plus yards declined from 17 to 4 last season. A return to double-digits would have a significant effect on the offense. Look for Barkley to be more involved in the passing game, too.Carroll: Isaiah Likely was one of the Giants’ biggest free-agent acquisitions, as the tight end signed a three-year, $40 million deal. That type of deal doesn’t usually lead to a player not being talked about enough. However, in a New York media market adoring the Odell Beckham Jr. reunion, while at the same time fixating on Malik Nabers’ return from a torn ACL, Likely has quietly been putting in the work becoming quarterback Jaxson Dart’s go-to pass catcher. As my colleague Dan Duggan noted, Likely was Dart’s favorite target this summer with 44 catches in 11-on-11 team periods during camp. With or without Nabers’ return in Week 1, Likely figures to be a big piece of this offense.Jhabvala: Brandon Coleman. He’s received more attention lately, and that will only continue. Coleman replaced Tunsil at left tackle, a spot he played as a rookie in 2024. The Commanders shifted him inside to left guard last season — he was benched two games in — but moved him back to tackle when Tunsil got hurt. Coleman spent the offseason training with Tunsil and admitted he needed the experience to learn how to better take care of his body to try to avoid preventable nagging injuries. It’s impossible to truly replace Tunsil, but Coleman handled the transition well in training camp and is best-suited for the role among Washington’s linemen. If Coleman performs well, it could ultimately put him on track for a longer-term future in Washington. If he struggles, it could affect the entire offense, particularly Daniels.Machota: Ryan Flournoy. He’s Dallas’ No. 3 wide receiver. Understandably, he’s not going to get the same attention as CeeDee Lamb or Pickens. That can be a good thing, especially with a quarterback like Prescott who won’t force things, instead throwing to the best matchup. That could be Flournoy even more than people are thinking. Opposing defenses are going to try their best to limit Lamb and Pickens. That means a lot of opportunities in favorable coverages for Flournoy. He delivered a breakout season last year, and he did nothing but build on that during training camp. It’s been rare to see him drop a pass as he’s built a good rapport with Prescott. Lamb and Pickens will probably both put up huge numbers, but don’t be surprised if Flournoy has big games, as well.Will the division title come down to the Eagles and Cowboys — as it has for the past five consecutive years — or do the Giants and Commanders have a chance to surprise?Berman: It’ll be the Eagles or Cowboys. They’re the two best teams, and barring major injuries to the contenders, I still see a sizable gap between the tiers. Last year brought the first back-to-back NFC East champions in two decades. The Eagles have the ability to make it a three-peat, especially with a defense that will contend to be the best unit in the NFL. But the Cowboys are legitimate threats if improvements on defense take shape. Washington’s offensive line poses too many questions even if Daniels ascends. The Giants made some intriguing additions and any team Harbaugh coaches must be taken seriously, although the interior on both lines of scrimmage have major question marks.Carroll: It would be quite a shock for the title to not wind up with Philadelphia or Dallas come season’s end. Yes, there are a lot of moving pieces as the Eagles undertake a drastic offensive scheme change, but their defense is elite, and it’s not like there’s continuity in Washington or New York, with both teams implementing a new offense this season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ offense remains elite, though the defense has undergone a pretty major overhaul, headlined by a new defensive coordinator. So, until I witness sustained success with the Giants and Commanders, I have to go with the teams that can boast at least one elite unit.Jhabvala: My inclination is to go with the Eagles and Cowboys again. The Commanders give me some pause because I admittedly have no idea what to expect from them. Parts of the roster (the receiving corps, the defensive line) appear stronger than they did the last two seasons. But the weaknesses, especially on the offensive line and in the secondary, provide plenty of reason for concern. If Daniels can stay healthy, I wouldn’t rule out the Commanders from anything. He showed in 2024 he can mask a number of roster deficiencies with his play. But if the injuries pile up for Washington, the Eagles and Cowboys are poised to lead the way, while the Commanders face a drama-filled offseason.Machota: I think the Giants will be better, but I still believe it’s the Cowboys and Eagles for the division. Next season is the one where I see it being more of a four-team race. For the Giants or Commanders to get in the mix, it will have to be like two years ago when Daniels took the league by storm with an outstanding rookie season. It’s possible for him to repeat that or for Dart to make a second-year jump. That would obviously close the gap. But the Eagles and Cowboys just have better overall rosters.