The Dallas Cowboys finally get some linebacker help by making a trade during Day of the 2026 NFL Draft. And he's a starting-caliber player with three years of experience.
The Dallas Cowboys walked away from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft without a linebacker. They admitted they still needed to do something about the position and now, they have. And for a cheap price.
The Cowboys traded for San Francisco 49ers LB Dee Winters, who started 17 games last year en route to a 101-tackle season. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport broke the news .
In 2025, Winters became an increasingly important player for the Niners as they navigated multiple injuries at the position.
In return, the Cowboys are giving up Pick No. 152 in the fifth-round. The trade leaves the Cowboys with no remaining picks in the fifth round after dealing their other two fifths to move up to draft safety Caleb Downs on Thursday
.
Winters may not be the be-all end-all for the Cowboys at linebacker, but he's a major upgrade and a viable starter at middle linebacker. I would expect the front office to continue looking to add to the position group, though.
For more insight on Winters, I reached out to our own A to Z Sports NFL's
Wendell Ferreira, who explains the veteran's departure from San Francisco
is mostly about the lack of a long-term future in the Bay.
Ferreira:"Originally a sixth-round pick back in 2023, Dee Winters is entering the final year of his rookie deal. San Francisco initially took him mostly because of his positional versatility to play off-ball linebacker and edge defender, but he started his career mostly as a backup because the Niners had Fred Warner
and Dre Greenlaw
.
"When Greenlaw spent a year with the Denver Broncos
, Winters became a full-time starter.
"He was decent in coverage and to close gaps, generating 43 stops, but missed 16 tackles in 2025. He had around 10% of his snaps at the edge, and in total generated 11 pressures. With Greenlaw back, though, Winters became expendable - especially because there wasn't a clear path for him to stay in San Francisco beyond 2026."
It's simple, really. The Cowboys got a starting-caliber player at the position they most urgently needed to address. And it cost a fifth-rounder. That's close to nothing. Dallas has a long way to go to fix the position, and Winters shouldn't change their draft approach much.
But he's a solid addition and an immediate upgrade. The trade also lowers the pressure to move up in Day 2, potentially allowing the Cowboys to keep the three fourth-round picks they have as of this writing.
GRADE: B+
