Former Washington head coach believes Commanders can still win NFC East in 2026

The Washington Commanders are enjoying a much-needed bye week right now. The team has played six games and only won one, which is far from ideal in a season that was supposed to be better. The good news is, the rest of the NFC East has also been bad so far. The Giants are in first place with four wins, but their starting quarterback is out for the year. The Cowboys and Eagles both have two wins, but the Cowboys’ defense is probably the league’s worst, and the Eagles will be without Jalen Hurts for the rest of the season.As a result, the Commanders are not fully out of anything just yet, and one of the team’s former head coaches thinks anything is possible.Jay Gruden joined 106.7 The Fan and revealed that he thinks the Commanders can still win the NFC East.“You look at Philadelphia, Hurts is out for the year now. Dallas’ defense is absolutely putrid, and the Giants, they have all kinds of problems,” Gruden explained. “I think there’s a lot to be positive about (for the Commanders).”Former Redskins head coach Jay Gruden thinks the Commanders can still win the NFC East despite plenty of issues to clean up. pic.twitter.com/EuYqu1iCIA— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) October 20, 2026Gruden also explained that the team has had plenty of learning moments this season, so the hope is that things will improve as the season progresses. The bad news is the Commanders have already played each divisional opponent, and they haven’t gotten a single win. They still play each team one more time this season, though, so if they win those, they could be in good shape.It definitely doesn’t seem like anybody is going to run away with the division, so the Commanders should be able to stay in the race. Staying healthy will be key, as the Commanders have already seen several key playmakers go down.This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Former Washington head coach believes Commanders can still win NFC East in 2026