49ers ship Dee Winters to Cowboys for a fifth-round draft pick

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco 49ers picked up an additional draft pick Friday by sending starting linebacker Dee Winters to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round draft pick, No. 152 overall.

Winters, 26, started all 17 games for the 49ers last season and led the team in tackles with 101. He also started 10 of 15 games in 2024.

The Cowboys announced the trade on their social media site "X."

Why would the 49ers dispatch a starter for a third-day draft pick?

A sixth-round draft pick out of TCU in 2026, Winters got all those starts mostly because of a torn Achilles sustained by Dre Greenlaw in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Greenlaw signed a three-year contract with Denver last season in free agency, but was released after playing in eight games with seven starts due to injuries.

When the Broncos cut Greenlaw, the 49ers wasted no time in bringing him back to pair with middle linebacker Fred Warner in hopes of reviving one of the NFL's top linebacker tandems. That left Winters in competition for an outside linebacker position with second-year player Nick Martin and Garret Wallow, who signed late last season and played four games with the 49ers after being released by Denver.

Winters is due $3.7 million in the final year of his four-year contract. If Greenlaw holds up physically - always a concern - that's likely more than the 49ers wanted to pay for a reserve.

Warner was lost for the season with a broken and dislocated ankle last season, and the 49ers defense wasn't the same without them.

At the start of the 49ers' offseason program, Warner said he was delighted his sidekick had returned.

"When we did sign him, he Face-timed me and said, 'Man, I'm coming back,'" Warner said. "Obviously, he's a phenomenal player, a brother of mine, but he's a pure culture guy for our team. I think his ability to elevate everybody around him is really what's special. He'll help with the young guys in the room, he'll help me and the rest of our defense get where we want to go."

Winters played well enough to hold off Martin, who was a third-round pick who was supposed to push for a starting spot. However, Martin, struggled in the preseason and wound up playing seven games. His season ended prematurely with a concussion and the 2026 season will amount to a do-over.

Other linebackers on the roster include Jalen Graham (outside), Luke Gifford (inside) and Tatum Bethune (inside).

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 9:30 PM.