NFC East: NFL Team-by-Team Season Preview
Adam Martin 
The countdown to the new NFL Season is almost over, with just a week to go until the start of the new season.
Here at Free Bets, we've been counting down for weeks, with season previews & awards articles from resident expert Adam Martin.
His final divisional preview looks at the NFC East.
NFC East Season Preview
We are just a couple of weeks away from the start of the season and the teams are finalising their rosters.
Can the Eagles win it all again? Are the Giants going to struggle again? Can the Commanders go one better and get to the Superbowl? Can the Cowboys stop being a basket case?
Here we go through all the teams and what to expect from them this season, as well as a look at what betting sites think, with current odds for all teams.
New York Giants
The Giants had a terrible season last year ending up with a 3-14 record and finishing as the third worst team in the NFL. Despite this there is a bit more optimism this season and improvement is expected.
Statistically they performed poorly in most metrics but defensively they did manage to be average against the run. Brian Daboll is back as head coach for the Giants, and the former Bills offensive coordinator needs a good start to the season.
He has got Mike Kafka back as his offensive coordinator and Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator. Having the continuity on both sides of the ball should help the Giants kick on and win more than three games.
In free agency the Giants didn’t lose many players with only Jason Pinnock and Azeez Ojulari moving on. They also didn’t re-sign many of their free agents with only Darius Slayton and Greg Van Roten getting new deals.
One thing the Giants did do though is get their credit card out. The defence has seen some good players come in with the likes of Jevon Holland, Paulson Adebo, Chauncy Golston and Roy Robertson-Harris. Also, they brought in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to compete at quarterback.
In the draft the Giants had seven picks, and they went and got themselves some exciting talent with them. With the third overall pick they went and got Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Carter was arguably the best player in the whole draft and will make an immediate impact for the Giants. He joins a strong edge rusher room that will be critical for the Giants if they have any chance of winning games.
After drafting Carter, the Giants then made a trade to move back into round one and take their quarterback of the future, Jaxson Dart. Hopefully Dart will be given time to develop but he has looked exciting in pre-season, and he might get involved at some point this season.
The offence also saw some extra weapons with running back, Cam Skattebo and guard, Marcus Mbow being drafted on day three. Both guys should help the offence, especially Skattebo who looks to be an aggressive runner.
Overall
The Giants cannot be challenging for the division let alone a playoff run. However, they can improve dramatically compared to what they achieved last season. The defence could potentially be elite this season and it will need to be.
The offence, however, still has its limitations currently. Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston will only be able to achieve so much. Ideally, they will win eight or nine games and show that they are competitive. This season is a building block for a better future.
Odds
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys suffered a disappointing season last year finishing with a 7-10 record. Not only was it a tough season but it was even worse for home fans who only saw two wins all season.
The offence just couldn’t get anything going last season and statistically were poor. The defence was not much better although they were nearly top ten against the pass.
Due to such a poor season the Cowboys relieved Mike McCarthy of his head coach duties and promoted Brian Schottenheimer. It’s difficult to know if this appointment will work out for the Cowboys but it does feel like a cheap option.
Schottenheimer has brought in Klayton Adams from the Arizona Cardinals to be his new offensive coordinator and ex-Bears head coach, Matt Eberflus is now the defensive coordinator. Eberflus has got lots of experience and should help improve the defence.
The Cowboys saw a lot of roster movement this off-season, especially on the defence. Carl Lawson, Eric Kendricks, Chauncy Golston, Jordan Lewis and Demarcus Lawrence have all moved on. They also lost Rico Dowdle, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance from the offence.
They did bring in some talent though. George Pickens was traded for, and they also added Javonte Williams and Robert Jones to the offence. The defence also got some new names with Kenneth Murray, Dante Fowler, Kaiir Elam and Jack Seaborn.
The Cowboys had nine picks over draft weekend and they did well with them. Tyler Booker was a great offensive guard in college and should help to bolster the line this season. On day two they took Donovan Ezeiraku and Shavon Revel. Both guys will help a defence that struggled last year.
On day three they made six more picks that will mainly be depth pieces. However, Jaydon Blue is an exciting running back who could get involved early this season.
Overall
“Americas Team” are in a tough spot right now. They seem to be getting worse rather than better. Also, owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, seems more interested in fighting with star edge rusher Micah Parsons about his contract.
The Cowboys need to become a tougher team and some of their rookies can help them with that. However, the overall goal of this season is to be competitive and that’s about it. If they start badly then things could unravel quickly.
Odds
Washington Commanders
The Commanders were the surprise package last season as they ended up going 12-5. Not only did they have a great regular season, but they also made it to the NFC Championship game.
Unfortunately for Commanders fans it all came to an end at that point as the Eagles finally stopped them. Despite that it was a seriously impressive campaign by rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn.
Quinn is back with Kliff Kingsbury at offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt at defensive coordinator. The continuity should help the Commanders as they bid to have another crack at winning this division.
Statistically the Commanders were great on the offence but struggled defensively. This is why they went out and got some top talent in free agency, mainly for the defence. Von Miller, Javon Kinlaw, Jonathon Jones, Deatrich Wise and Will Harris have all been brought in.
They also made two big additions to the offence with Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil coming in. They also re-signed plenty of their big names. Bobby Wagner, Zack Ertz, Andrew Whylie and Percy Butler are just some of their regular starters to come back.
The Commanders had a quiet draft with only five picks throughout the whole weekend. However, they made some great picks and most of them will have an instant impact.
In round one they drafted Josh Conerly who will be starting on the offensive line. The former Oregon student had a good college career, and he should translate to the NFL. They then drafted Trey Amos who is a solid cornerback and wide receiver Jaylin Lane on day two.
On day three they got Kain Medrano and Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt. Medrano is probably a depth piece, but Croskey-Merritt will have a big impact this season. Even more so as during training camp the Commanders traded away running back Brian Robinson to the 49ers.
Overall
Last year was a big surprise for the Commanders as even they probably didn’t think they would make the NFC Championship game. The expectations are now much higher than before and if anything, feel unrealistic.
Jayden Daniels is going into his second year, and everyone has tape on him now and will know what to expect. However, if you look at the roster now its arguably better than last year. The playoffs are a must, but they are not ready for a Superbowl appearance.
Odds
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles couldn’t have done much better last season as they ended up lifting the Lombardi trophy. In the regular season they went 14-3 and then had a great run in the playoffs.
Statistically they were a top ten side in all aspect of offence and defence. Their biggest weakness was passing offence and even that was ranked in the top ten.
Nick Sirianni is unsurprisingly back for another season as head coach as his defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The former Dolphins head coach has made this Eagles defence an elite one and it would be surprising if things changed now.
The Eagles have lost Kellen Moore from their coaching staff as he has moved to the Saints to be their head coach. However, they have promoted Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator. He has been the Eagles pass game coordinator since 2023 and so should maintain the good form.
Free agency was tough for the Eagles as they had to let go of some top-quality players who helped them win the Superbowl. The defence saw Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Avonte Maddox, Milton Williams, Thomas Booker, Isiah Rodgers and Chauncy Gardner-Johnson move on.
They did manage to re-sign some of their star names though. Saquon Barkley and Cam Jurgens are big players to get signed up on the offence. Both should help them a lot this season. Also, Zack Baun was a vital piece on the defence last year and he is back for them again this season.
The Eagles didn’t spend much money in free agency, but they did bring in some guys to help with their depth. Josh Uche, Azeez Ojulari and Patrick Johnson should help the edge rusher room. Matt Pryor is also a decent signing given that they lost Mekhi Becton.
The Eagles had ten picks in this year’s draft but only two were on the first two days. Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba should both help the defence and were both thought of highly in college.
After that it really was just finding depth pieces who could possibly help in the future. Mac McWilliams, at cornerback and Cameron Williams, at offensive tackle could both be good in the future.
Overall
Back-to-back Superbowl victories are very rare in the NFL, but the Eagles are a team that can do it. The offence is filled with quality, and the defence is arguably the best in the league.
The change at offensive coordinator could cause a few disruptions but they should be able to deal with it. All in all, this is the Eagles chance to create a dynasty, and they have a good chance of doing it.
Odds
The Eagles are amongst the favourites in the latest Superbowl betting to make it back to back victories.
NFC East Season Odds
As part of our NFC East season preview, we've got the latest odds to win the division below and on those NFL betting lines, it's the Philadelphia Eagles who are favourites.
The New NFL Season on Freebets
We're with you every week of the season as Adam Martin delivers his NFL betting tips and best bets.
He'll bring you a weekly bet builder for Thursday Night Football, followed by his best bets across the slate on Sundays.
