FRISCO, Texas – Dee Winters was moving into his new home in Arlington, Texas last Friday night when he got a call from Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones.
Dallas traded a fifth-round pick to the 49ers for Winters, who had just wrapped up his third NFL season in San Francisco.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised quite a bit…” Winters said of the news. “I definitely didn’t have any plans on being traded. But everything happens for a reason, I’m excited that I’m back home and I get to play for the Dalals Cowboys.”
Winters, a Texas native who played college football at TCU, had the most productive season of his NFL career in 2025, starting all 17 games for the 49ers and posting 101 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five pass breakups and a pick-six.
“I think just the attention to detail last year, and just kind of understanding what offenses like to do,” Winters said of what sparked his career-best year in 2025. “I feel like I started to pick up on it more as I got reps. Just that experience each and every game getting better and trying to use that motto, I think that really helped me have a decent year last year.”