The Dallas Cowboys made a move to try and shore up arguably the NFL’s worst position group when they traded for San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Dee Winters this offseason.
According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, that was a bad move because Winters was only ever good on the 49ers when he played next to NFL All-Pro Fred Warner — the NFL’s best inside linebacker — and anything other than that was just a mirage.
And remember, when someone says something isn’t meant as an insult … it’s always an insult.
“This is not meant as a stray shot at departed linebacker Dee Winters, but man, he looked a lot better playing next to Warner than after Warner was carted off,” Tafur wrote on July 24. “Warner seemingly sees everything that is happening (or about to happen) and then chases it down. With enthusiasm and a forearm.”
Warner only played 6 games in 2025 next to Winters before he suffered a season-ending dislocated and broken ankle.
Cowboys Hope Dee Winters Turns Into Elite LB
The Cowboys got incredible value for wide receiver George Pickens in a trade before the 2025 season, essentially giving up a 2026 3rd-round pick for a player who ended up earning NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time.
They may have made a similar deal on the defensive side of the ball by trading a 2026 5th-round pick to the 49ers for Winters on April 24.
Winters, like Pickens, could very well be on the verge of stardom after racking up 101 tackles, 8 TFL, 5 pass deflections, and 1 interception returned 75 yards for a touchdown. He also started all 17 games for the 1st time in his career.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put Winters, 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds, at the top of his list of the NFL’s best “Under the Radar” players about to play a major role in the upcoming season.
“The Dallas Cowboys had one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2025, and the team took a buzzsaw to the unit in the offseason,” Davenport wrote on June 22. “There are new edge-rushers in veteran Rashan Gary and rookie Malachi Lawrence. Two new starting safeties in Jalen Thompson and first-round rookie Caleb Downs. And a potential new ‘green dot’ linebacker in Dee Winters … Winters isn’t an elite talent, but he was a steady producer for the 49ers last year. He also provides some badly needed stability for a Cowboys linebacker corps that was something of a carousel last year.”
Dee Winters Could Be Wildly Valuable for Dallas
Winters, a 2023 6th-round pick (No. 213 overall), took over the starting role for NFL All-Pro Fred Warner after a season-ending injury. If he can get that same level of production in Dallas, it represents an incredible value in the final season of his 4-year, $3.98 million rookie contract.
“(Winters) is a guy that we’ve watched play for a while,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told ESPN’s Todd Archer. “Rare speed. Athleticism. Adds a veteran in the room for us.”
Winters is one of what could be 6 new starters on the defensive side of the ball for the season opener — if not more than that.
“The Dee Winters trade is great for the Cowboys,” Blogging the Boys’ RJ Ochoa wrote on his official X account. “It isn’t GREAT like he COMPLETELY CHANGES everything. But he really raises the floor of a group that was horrible last year. They can still draft another. They have simply given themselves a safety net now. That’s good business.”
Former 49ers Linebacker Only Good Playing Next to Fred Warner