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Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, linebacker Dee Winters was a crucial member of the San Francisco 49ers defense. He left the draft as one of the new faces of a revamped Dallas Cowboys defense.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was pretty surprised… I definitely didn’t have any plans to be traded,” Winters said of his trade to Dallas during the draft, according to the Cowboys’ team website. “But everything happens for a reason. I’m excited to be back home and be able to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Dallas traded the 152nd pick in this year’s draft to San Francisco to acquire Winters, a Texas native and TCU alum who is entering the final season of his rookie contract.
Winters is coming off arguably the best season of his three-year NFL career. In 2025, he set career highs with one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, five passes defensed, eight tackles for loss and 101 combined tackles.
What was the key to your success?
“I think it was just the attention to detail last year and understanding what offenses like to do,” Winters said of his 2025 campaign. “I feel like I started to get it more as I got reps. Just that experience, every single game getting better and trying to use that motto. I think that really helped me have a decent year.”
Meanwhile, in Dallas, the Cowboys gave up the most points in the NFL (30.1 per game), finished 30th in total opponent yards (377.0 per game) and recorded just 35.0 sacks (five-way tied for 22nd). After the season, Dallas fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after one year in favor of former Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker, who has a vivid plan for Winters.
“He wants to take me to space,” Winters said. “He feels like one of my assets is me being in space and being able to make tackles in space. Just running and hitting with my physicality and speed that I bring to the game. He and I are excited to see what that looks like and go from there.”
Winters was selected by San Francisco in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He played four seasons at TCU (2019-22), which is about 20 minutes west of AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys. He grew up in Burton, Texas, about three and a half hours south of Dallas.
The Cowboys have revamped their defense this offseason. In addition to acquiring Winters, Dallas traded for Green Bay Packers linebacker Rashan Gary and signed defensive backs Jalen Thompson (three-year, $33 million deal) and Cobie Durant (one-year, $4 million deal). Then in the draft, Dallas selected Ohio State Buckeyes safety and two-time All-American Caleb Downs with the 11th pick and UCF Knights defensive end Malachi Lawrence with the 23rd pick.
