Cowboys acquire 49ers starting LB Dee Winters for 5th-round pick

Field Level Media|published: Fri 24th April, 22:12 2026

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters (53) carries the ball after an interception for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys continued to bolster their defense on Friday, trading a fifth-round draft pick for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters.

Winters, 25, started all 17 regular-season games last season and had team-high 101 tackles as well as eight tackles for loss, five passes defended and one interception which he returned 74 yards for a touchdown.

A native of Brenham, Texas, Winters has 155 career tackles, eight tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 10 passes defended and the one interception in 47 regular-season games (27 starts). Winters also has played in four playoff games (one start) and has 10 tackles.

San Francisco selected Winters in the sixth round of the 2023 draft out of TCU.

The 49ers now have the 152nd overall pick that belonged to the Cowboys, who went defense in the first round on Thursday by selecting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (11th overall) and UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence (23rd). Dallas did not have a second-round pick.

The Cowboys traded defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers for a third-round pick (92nd overall) on March 11.

--Field Level Media

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