A former sixth-round pick who broke out with a team-leading tackle total in San Francisco before landing with Dallas.
Dee Winters converted from safety to linebacker at TCU and turned that versatility into a full-time NFL starting job by his third season. After emerging as San Francisco's leading tackler in 2025, the Brenham, Texas native now brings that production to Dallas.
Path to the league
Winters played college football at TCU from 2019 to 2022, initially as a safety before converting to linebacker, and helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game while earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. San Francisco drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Winters spent his rookie season in rotational and special-teams roles with the 49ers before working his way into a full-time defensive role. His development culminated in 2025, when he started every game for San Francisco and led the team in tackles.
2025 season recap
Winters posted a team-leading 101 tackles for the 49ers in 2025 while starting all 17 games, cementing himself as a foundational piece of San Francisco's defense. His performance made him a valuable trade chip, and Dallas acquired him for a 2026 fifth-round pick, bringing the Texas native back close to home.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dee Winters
- ESPN: Dee Winters trade story
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | cowboys | 3 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 49ers | 17 | 101 | 67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | 49ers | 15 | 44 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | 49ers | 15 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- TCU
- Hometown
- Brenham, TX, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
