“There’s work to be done. We’re still building the room,” the Dallas Cowboys‘ owner/general manager, Jerry Jones, said while addressing the linebacker unit. Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, Jerry Jones had a clear need at the position. And while the franchise passed on it in the first round, they later moved to trade for former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters in exchange for a fifth-round pick, a move that even caught the LB off-guard.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Winters said of the trade, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “I was surprised quite a bit. I sent my truck out there so didn’t have a plan to be traded. Everything happens for a reason. Exited (Excited) to be back home and getting to play for the Dallas Cowboys.

The 49ers originally drafted the Texas native in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 216th overall pick. Early in his career, Winters primarily contributed on special teams and as a rotational defender.

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2025 turned out to be a breakout season for the 25-year-old. He recorded 101 total tackles and one interception after star linebacker Fred Warner suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

Following the draft, 49ers general manager John Lynch described Winters as one of the favorite guys in the locker room. At the same time, he acknowledged that discussions with Dallas had been ongoing for some time.

“We made that trade today [Friday], and that’s tough because Dee’s a guy who’s done a lot for us here,” Lynch told the reporters. “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 feel 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 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.”

The move also comes at a key point in Winters’ contract timeline. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. Now in Dallas, the 25-year-old adds depth to a linebacker group that includes DeMarvion Overshown, Barham, Shemar James, and Justin Barron.

Dee Winters is planning to work on the MIKE linebacker

Following a poor defensive showing in 2025 under coordinator Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys are entering 2026 with Christian Parker taking over the defense. In his first year in Dallas, Parker has made it clear he plans to run a 3-4 scheme, something Dee Winters has less experience in. Even so, Winters is fully on board with how Dallas plans to use him.

“He wants to get me in space” Winters said of Parker’s plan for him. “He feels like one of my assets is me being in space and being able to make tackles in space. Just run and hit with my physicality and speed that I bring to the game. Him and I both are excited to see what that looks like and go from there.”

And while adjusting to a 3-4 front will be one challenge, another layer comes with the possibility of playing MIKE linebacker and wearing the green dot. In San Francisco, Winters primarily played WILL linebacker, with Fred Warner handling MIKE duties. But when Warner went down, Winters did get limited exposure to that role.

“Last year is when they started kind of implementing me in that spot a little bit,” Winters said. “As far as experience, I really haven’t had any. I’ve only done a few practices with the green dot, so that’ll be new, but it’s a first time for everything and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Still, moving from WILL to MIKE is not a simple switch. Especially if Dallas expects him to take on play-calling responsibilities. Winters understands that part of the transition as well.

“I feel like I do a pretty good job of communication at the WILL linebacker position, but being a MIKE linebacker, you have to be able to run the defense and make the calls,” he said. “I think that takes a lot of film study. It’s kind of a different aspect of the game that not a lot of others guys do. I think just taking the film room extremely serious and just running it.”

For now, his exact role in Dallas remains undecided. What is clear, though, is that Winters is stepping into a new situation, back in a familiar place, with expectations that are noticeably higher heading into 2026.