After just ten selections in the second phase of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys executed a transaction.
The Dallas Cowboys completed an exchange with the San Francisco 49ers, acquiring seasoned linebacker Dee Winters.
Winters, originally a sixth-round selection by the 49ers in the 2023 NFL Draft, is a familiar figure to the Cowboys, having played his college football locally at TCU.
Last season, Winters participated as a starter in all 17 contests for the 49ers, significantly strengthening the baseline performance at linebacker for the Cowboys, which was the singular area they had not yet substantially reinforced this offseason. The fact that Dallas managed to secure him for merely a fifth-round selection represents an excellent maneuver.
Dallas Cowboys’ Subsequent Draft Selections
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Fourth Round: 137th selection overall (received from the Philadelphia Eagles)
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Fifth Round: 152nd selection overall(exchanged with 49ers for Dee Winters) -
Fifth Round: 180th selection overall(conveyed to the Miami Dolphins)
Serendipitously, Texas Tech’s linebacker Jacob Rodriguez joined the Miami Dolphins concurrently with this report. This emphasized the notion that, from a practical standpoint, the Cowboys’ sole opportunity to secure linebacker assistance during the draft lay in executing a trade for an experienced player.
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