Cowboys get LB Dee Winters from 49ers for 5th-round draft pick

FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys acquired linebacker Dee Winters from the San Francisco 49ers on Friday for pick No. 152 in the fifth round of the NFL draft.

The Cowboys searched for a middle linebacker in free agency but were unable to land Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd or Nakobe Dean. The Cowboys had trade discussions with several teams, including the Houston Texans for Azeez Al-Shaair and the Miami Dolphins for Jordyn Brooks, per sources, but what those teams wanted in return was too much.

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

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said Winters was moving into a new house in nearby Arlington, Texas, when he received word of the trade. The Cowboys and Niners first broached the idea of the trade about six weeks ago and came to an agreement Friday. Schottenheimer did not say that Winters would be the “green dot,” communicator on the defense.

“We’re going to let them all train, and we don’t have to make that decision today,” Schottenheimer said.

The Cowboys could still add a linebacker in the remainder of the draft, but Winters is a young veteran with 27 starts. The Cowboys had only three off-ball linebackers — DeMarvion Overshown, Shemar James and Justin Barron — before adding Winters.

The Cowboys’ third-round pick, Jaishawn Barham, has experience as an edge rusher at Michigan, but Schottenheimer said he will begin his work at inside linebacker. Jones would not rule out adding more linebackers.

“There’s work to be done. We’re still building the room. We needed to rebuild it. As [defensive coordinator Christian Parker] said, I think we only had two chairs in the room before the draft so, no, we need to keep being creative there and add players and have competition. So, we’ll certainly give that a good going over as we look at a situation [Saturday].”

Had the Cowboys not been able to select pass rusher Malachi Lawrence with their second first-round pick Thursday, No. 23 overall, then Georgia’s CJ Allen would have been one of their top targets for the pick, according to sources.

Winters, 5-11 and 227 pounds, was a sixth-round pick of the Niners in 2023 out of TCU. In 17 starts at weakside linebacker last season, he was credited with 101 tackles and returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.

San Francisco reunited with Dre Greenlaw in March after his release from the Denver Broncos. With Greenlaw expected to step back into the starting role there and Winters entering the final year of his rookie deal, the Niners sacrificed some depth for an additional draft pick.

Behind starters Greenlaw and Fred Warner, the Niners also have Tatum Bethune, Luke Gifford, Garret Wallow and Nick Martin, last year’s third-round selection, as linebacker depth. The Niners originally selected Winters with a sixth-round pick, No. 216, in the 2023 NFL draft.

San Francisco entered the draft with six picks but has eight after trading Winters, including three in the fourth round and now two more in the fifth.

This is the second trade the Cowboys and Niners have executed this offseason. Dallas received a third-round pick from San Francisco for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Jones and San Francisco general manager John Lynch serve on the Competition Committee.

“He and I have a great relationship,” Jones said. “Obviously, we’re competing against one another. We were laughing between two deals with the 49ers, one with the Eagles, strange bedfellows, if you will. We feel real comfortable with John, and I think he feels comfortable with us. It just shows you if you want something, they want something that you can make a deal.”