The Philadelphia Eagles did not come out on top of this NFC East roster comparison, but they did finish close enough to the Cowboys to keep the conversation pointed at the same place: the top of the division. In a framework built around PFF positional rankings and a Top 35 proxy for projected starters and immediate depth, the Eagles landed with a 61 average in the top-35 group, which placed them second in the division.
That matters because this is not a raw-talent exercise in the abstract. It is a playing-time-adjusted look at where the usable strength sits across a roster, and the Top 35 concept is designed to capture the players who matter most once the season starts. By that standard, the Eagles remain in a tier that separates contenders from the teams still trying to prove they can survive injuries, attrition and the weekly volatility of the NFL.
Why the ranking matters
The value of this kind of comparison is that it avoids getting lost in star power alone. A team can have a handful of elite names and still be vulnerable if the quality drops too quickly after the first wave of starters. The Eagles’ 61 Top 35 average suggests something more stable than that: a roster with enough quality in the core group to remain relevant over a full season.
That is also why the comparison with Dallas is so important. The Cowboys set the pace in this NFC East evaluation, but the Eagles were close enough to make the division look like a two-team race at the top. That does not guarantee anything in 2025 or 2026, and it does not erase the need to prove it on the field. It does, however, show that the Eagles are still built like a team that expects to matter when the standings tighten.
What the numbers suggest
The broader point of the analysis is simple: the difference between contenders and lottery teams often comes down to whether the top 32 to 35 players are good enough. The Eagles checked that box well enough to finish near the top of the NFC East, even if they did not claim the top spot. In a division comparison built this way, that is less a consolation prize than a signal that the roster still has real weight.
The question now is not whether the Eagles belong in the conversation with the Cowboys. The numbers already say they do. The real issue is whether the gap at the top can be closed once the season moves from projection to reality.
