FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys acquired linebacker Dee Winters from the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night. In return, the 49ers get the No. 152 overall pick, a fifth-round choice in this weekend’s NFL draft.
The move addresses a clear need at linebacker for Dallas. The Cowboys used two first-round picks on defense on opening night, taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, yet the team still saw veteran help as necessary.
Executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones said acquiring a veteran would be among the options Dallas considered as it revamps one of the league’s worst defenses from 2025. The Winters trade fits that approach by adding an experienced defender to the roster.
Winters was a 2023 sixth-round pick now entering his fourth NFL season. He became expendable in San Francisco after the 49ers re-signed Dre Greenlaw in free agency, clearing room on their depth chart.
The deal gives the 49ers the 152nd pick and leaves the Cowboys without a fifth-round choice. Dallas had already traded its other two fifth-rounders to Miami to move up one spot and select Downs at No. 11. The Cowboys also moved three spots down to 23 to take Lawrence while adding two fourth-round picks.
This is the second trade this offseason between the two teams that involved defensive players. In March, Dallas sent defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a third-round pick. That pick, at No. 92, had been Dallas’ only selection on the second day of the draft before the Winters deal.
After the trade for Winters, the Cowboys will head into the final day of the draft with three fourth-round picks and a seventh-rounder. San Francisco opened the second day by taking Ole Miss receiver De’Zhaun Stribling at 33rd overall, their first pick of the draft and one of eight they will have over the final two days.
