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The Dallas Cowboys traded for linebacker Dee Winters from the San Francisco 49ers on April 24, sending a fifth-round pick, No. 152 overall, in return. Throughout the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Niners have accumulated draft picks, so this move wasn’t surprising.

Moreover, 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to the media after Day 2 of the draft and explained why the team decided to part ways with Winters and send him to Dallas.

“We made that trade, and that’s tough because Dee is a guy who’s done a lot for us here,” Lynch told reporters on April 24 (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Sixth-round pick out of TCU, but he is one of the favorite guys in that locker room among his teammates.

“He’s done a lot for us on the field. We just felt like we were in good position at linebacker, and Dallas has been really interested in him for a long time.”

Lynch also explained the timeline in which the ball got rolling between the 49ers and Cowboys, eventually leading to a trade on Day 2 of the draft.

“I’d say that the talks probably started with myself and Stephen Jones when we were talking about Osa [Odighizuwa],” Lynched added. “They’ve stayed on that. We kind of held it off for a while, and as we got there today, we just felt like it was the right thing to do for our team.

“It’s a good opportunity for Dee. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for him to shine, and we are very grateful for Dee’s time here and all his contributions he made to our squad.”

Cowboys HC Gets Blunt About Trading for Dee Winters

Winters posted a 60.4 overall defensive grade from PFF during the 2025 season, which ranked 46th out of 88 qualified linebackers. In coverage, he graded out at 62.0, placing 29th at his position. His run-defense grade was 62.6, ranking 55th, while his pass-rush grade was 54.2, ranking 72nd among qualified linebackers.

He finished the year with 85 solo tackles and generated 11 total pressures, though he did not record a sack as a blitzer. When targeted in coverage, he allowed a 104.2 passer rating. He was also credited with 16 missed tackles across the season.

Once the trade was made between the two teams, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer shared his thoughts on the player that he hopes can bolster their linebacker group.

“Couldn’t be more thrilled with the addition of Dee Winters. This is a guy that we’ve been watching play for a while,” Schottenheimer said (h/t Todd Archer of ESPN). “Rare speed and athleticism, and it’s a veteran in the room for us, which is great.”

49ers Linebacker Room Was Getting Crowded

The trade for the 49ers made sense, given how crowded the team’s linebacker group got this offseason. San Francisco brought Dre Greenlaw back in March after the Denver Broncos released him.

As a result, with Greenlaw projected to reclaim a starting spot and Winters heading into the final year of his rookie contract, the 49ers chose to move on from some depth in exchange for an extra draft pick.

Moreover, with starters Greenlaw and Fred Warner, the team’s linebacker group now includes Tatum Bethune, Luke Gifford, Garret Wallow, and Nick Martin, last year’s third-round pick, as part of the depth chart.