Winters is Coming: Cowboys LB vying to be King of the North (Texas)

The Cowboys search for an off-the-ball linebacker may not be over, but the team did find an intriguing piece to the puzzle when they traded a 2026 fifth-round pick for 49ers linebacker Dee Winters. The 25-year-old, three-year veteran, who started all 17 games for San Francisco last season and has 27 starts in total, had a conference call with the Dallas media on Thursday, shedding insight into what may be expected of him under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. The Texas native was moving into his new home in Arlington when he received a phone call from San Francisco informing him that he had just been traded to the Cowboys.

Dee Winters on the trade to Dallas from SF: “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised quite a bit. I sent my truck out there so didn’t have a plan to be traded.

Everything happens for a reason. Exited to be back home and getting to play for the Dallas Cowboys. ” — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 30, 2026 Winters grew up watching the Cowboys with his family and is excited to put on the jersey for the first time.

Before the 2023 NFL Draft, the TCU product had a Dallas-Day visit with the Cowboys alongside current Dallas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown . If the season were to start today, both players would be projected to start at inside linebacker for the Cowboys. Before penciling in the depth chart, Winters will need to get acclimated to his new surrounding, specifically the 3-4 defense as he is not familiar with the scheme but he has already started to digest the playbook.