In a somewhat surprising move during the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers traded linebacker Dee Winters to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round pick (No. 152 overall).

Winters, a sixth-round selection by the 49ers in the 2023 NFL Draft, developed into a key contributor for San Francisco's defense. He started all 17 games last season, totaling 101 tackles, five passes defensed, and one interception returned for a touchdown.


However, after the 49ers re-signed Dre Greenlaw this offseason, it became increasingly clear that Winters' role could diminish heading into 2026.

Following Day 2 of the draft, general manager John Lynch addressed the decision to move on from the young linebacker.

"We made that trade today, and that's tough because Dee's a guy who's done a lot for us here," Lynch said. "Sixth-round pick out of TCU, but Dee is one of the favorite guys in that locker room amongst his teammates. He's done a lot for us on the field.

"We just felt like we were in a good position at linebacker, and Dallas has been really interested in him for a long time. And I'd say the talks probably started with myself and [Cowboys co-owner, EVP] Stephen Jones, when we were talking about [DT] Osa [Odighizuwa]. 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 just very grateful for Dee's time here and all his contributions he made to our squad."


Ultimately, the 49ers believe the move reflects their depth at linebacker and their willingness to make difficult decisions to improve the roster in the long term.

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