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4. New York Giants
2023 Record: 6-11
It’s hard to fathom a world where the 2024 New York Giants are a good football team. They look hopelessly committed to the continually underwhelming and frequently injured Daniel Jones as their franchise quarterback. They’ve also lost their primary offensive weapon in running back Saquon Barkley to the Eagles, replacing him with the former Buffalo Bill and Houston Texan, Devin Singletary.
By far, the best move that the Giants have made all offseason is trading for two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Brian Burns from the Panthers. With this acquisition, New York has solidified an elite defensive line by pairing Burns with blossoming star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, and two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, the latter of whom also made second-team All-Pro in each of the last two seasons.
As good as the Giants defense might be, their offense looks even more inept. Aside from the fact that their offensive line gave up a whopping 85 sacks in 2023, 20 more than the next worst team, their group of offensive weapons is seriously lacking in playmakers. It will be interesting to see what they do with the 6th overall pick in the draft later this month, given that there are so many glaring needs.
3. Washington Commanders
2023 Record: 4-13
The Washington Commanders have been the most active team this offseason, with over 20 new players signed during free agency. Among the most significant are running back Austin Ekeler, linebacker Bobby Wagner, tight end Zach Ertz, and center Tyler Biadasz. This avalanche of activity comes as no surprise, considering that the Commanders entered free agency with the most cap space of any team.
It could also be argued that Washington’s roster had the most holes of any team in the league outside of Carolina. All of the new arrivals will likely coincide with drafting a new franchise quarterback with the number two overall pick, presumably Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. Everything seems to have Washington poised for a considerable jump in 2024. Will that jump be enough for them to claim one of the top two spots in the division? I’m not so sure.
2. Dallas Cowboys
2023 Record: 12-5
It would be a massive understatement to say it hasn’t been the most active offseason for the Cowboys. With only one new addition to the roster coming in the form of former Vikings and Chargers linebacker Eric Kendricks, it looks as though the 2024 Dallas Cowboys roster might look quite similar to that of last year’s team (minus several departed free agents). Due to this inactivity, it seems hard to envision how Dallas will improve in 2024 and finally get over their nearly 30-year hump of early playoff exits. As Dak Prescott enters the final year of his four-year, $160 million deal signed in 2021, it hardly looks like the Cowboys are putting him in the best position to earn a new contract with them in 2025.
Don’t get me wrong, the Cowboys still have a roster that ranks firmly in the top half of the league. It's a roster that should still be good enough for them to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, especially in the weaker NFC. That said, this is the Dallas Cowboys we’re talking about. A team with a culture of competing for Super Bowls, even though they haven’t been on that level for almost three decades. They need to do something major if 2024 is different or even as good as 2023. Case in point: the running backs who are currently on the Cowboys’ roster are Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and Hunter Luepke.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2023 Record: 11-6
In recent years, the Eagles have become known as one of the league’s most aggressive teams in free agency. This offseason was no different, when they brought in superstar running back Saquon Barkley from the division rival Giants. The Eagles also addressed their problematic defense, which ranked 30th in points allowed per game (25.2) and 26th in yards allowed per game (356.1) in 2023, by bringing in Devin White, Bryce Huff and reuniting with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Yet many questions remain, including figuring out how to regain momentum heading into the new season after finishing last season with an almost laughable swan dive. They’ll also have to cope with the retirement of future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce. For now, I’ll still give them the edge over Dallas and company. Jalen Hurts is (probably) still the best quarterback in the division, even though he needs a serious bounce back from last year’s subpar campaign. The same goes for head coach Nick Sirianni, whose seat will become warm if things don’t change in 2024.
