NFC East Roster Power Rankings: Where the Commanders Stand at Wide Receiver

The Washington Commanders have a proven leader in Terry McLaurin, but the rest of the NFC East shows why their wide receiver room still has work to do.

Nov 30, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) runs with the ball after making a catch as Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga (9) defends in the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One thing the Washington Commanders are not lacking is a proven receiver. Terry McLaurin gives them that.

In this particular situation, the question is whether Washington has enough around him to stack up with the rest of the NFC East. That is where the conversation gets a little tougher.

This is the second installment of the NFC East Power Rankings series, where every position group is ranked from first to fourth. The top group receives four points, second place gets three, third gets two, and fourth gets one. Those totals will carry over throughout the series before producing a final divisional roster ranking.

After starting the series with the cornerbacks, the focus will now shift to the wide receivers.

4. Washington Commanders — 1 point

Sep 23, 2019; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) is introduced prior to the Redskins’ game against the Chicago Bears at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Terry McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Van Jefferson, Chris Hilton Jr., Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, Jaden Bradley, Jacoby Jones, Antonio Williams, Nick Nash

As stated above, Washington has a proven receiver, but this is a full position-group ranking, and that is where they need work.

McCaffrey's second season was shut down after Week 9 due to a broken collarbone. So, 2026 will be somewhat of a sophomore do-over for him, looking to turn his next step of development into production. Lane brings speed and return value, but needs to prove he can be a consistent offensive piece.

Burks is the wild card of this group. He has size and flashes first-round talent, but Washington still has to find out if that turns into a usable role. Jefferson and Brown add experience, but neither changes the ranking on his own without a major breakout.

By no means is this saying the Commanders have a bad receiver room. What it is saying is that too much of the room still has to be proven.

3. New York Giants — 2 points

Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) makes a catch for a touchdown against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, Jalin Hyatt, Isaiah Hodgins, Beaux Collins, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Fields, Odell Beckham Jr., Braxton Berrios, Dalen Cambre, Ryan Miller, JuJu Smith-Schuster

New York has the edge here over Washington because their argument after the top receiver is a little better.

Malik Nabers remains the Giants' top guy at receiver. When healthy, he gives Big Blue a true No. 1 talent and one of the most dangerous young players in the division. The Giants still have Darius Slayton, while Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios, Darnell Mooney, and Calvin Austin III give the room more experience and competition. Jalin Hyatt is still part of the equation, but he must prove he can be more than just a vertical idea.

At this point, that is enough to keep the Giants above Washington, but not any higher.

Nabers has to stay healthy. The room had a fairly noticeable dropoff after he went down with an ACL injury last season. Slayton and Mooney have to settle into roles that bring something substantial to the table. Beckham and Smith-Schuster need to prove they are more than just big names at this stage. The Giants may have more proven receiving value behind their No. 1 than Washington does, but this is still a group with plenty of questions heading into 2026.

That keeps New York third.

2. Philadelphia Eagles — 3 points

Jan 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith (6) makes a catch as Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) defends during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown, Makai Lemon, Elijah Moore, Dontayvion Wicks, Johnny Wilson, Samori Toure, Danny Gray, Darius Cooper, Erik Ezukanma, Quez Watkins, Britain Covey

After trading A.J. Brown to New England, Philadelphia no longer sits in the top spot here. But the move did not drop the Eagles out of the top two.

DeVonta Smith is now the top receiver in the room, and Philadelphia still has enough weapons to surround him with to make this group really dangerous. The Eagles doubled down on the position, first signing Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, and Dontayvion Wicks, then drafting Makai Lemon in the first round.

Smith gives them a proven top-tier piece. Lemon gives upside, while Brown gives them speed. Moore and Wicks bring more competition for defined roles. Philadelphia's case is much stronger than both Washington's and New York's currently. The only reason Philadelphia is not first is that Dallas has the cleaner top-end argument with Lamb and Pickens.

1. Dallas Cowboys — 4 points

Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) react during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Denzel Mims, Traeshon Holden, Anthony Smith, Jaden Smith, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tyler Johnson, Jordan Hudson, Camden Brown

This one truly comes down to the top of the room, as Dallas easily has the best wide receiver duo in the NFC East with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. They might be the best duo in the NFL right now, as the two combined for over 2,500 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025.

The Cowboys do not have a perfect roster by any means. Pickens is in the middle of a contract situation that has already led to him being tagged in his first offseason with the team. Flournoy will be on a mission this year to prove he can hold onto that third receiver role, and the depth behind those three will have to sort itself out over the last few roster spots. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin, Denzel Mims, Jordan Hudson, and Camden Brown give Dallas more options, but Lamb and Pickens still drive the ranking.

That said, this ranking is not about perfection. It is about which team enters training camp with the strongest wide receiver group on paper. Right now, in the NFC East, that team is Dallas.

Updated NFC East Roster Power Rankings Standings

NFC East Team	CB Points	WR Points	Total Points
Philadelphia Eagles	4	3	7
New York Giants	3	2	5
Dallas Cowboys	1	4	5
Washington Commanders	2	1	3

So with two position groups in the books, the Eagles remain in first place. Dallas jumps to second and is now tied with New York on the strength of that receiver room.

Washington falls to fourth overall now after only getting one point here, which should not be treated like a surprise. The Commanders have McLaurin, but everything beyond that needs more proof before it can be treated as fact.

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