As soon as the San Francisco 49ers reunited with fan-favorite linebacker Dre Greenlaw during the offseason, one of their reserve backers -- Nick Martin, Tatum Bethune and Dee Winters -- effectively became expendable.
Turns out, the expendable commodity was Winters.
The Niners executed an in-draft trade, sending Winters off to the Dallas Cowboys for the 152nd overall pick, which was subsequently dealt as part of general manager John Lynch's numerous deals over the three-day event.
Hopefully, the move doesn't backfire for San Francisco, particularly with Greenlaw's lengthy injury history and a now more-depleted depth chart behind him.
As for Winters, though, he certainly didn't see this coming.
Dee Winters was 'surprised' at 49ers trading him to Cowboys
Sometimes, front offices and GMs inform players ahead of time how they're on the trade block.
This wasn't the case with Winters, who explained to The Athletic's Jon Machota that the whole deal came as quite a shocker after spending his entire pro career with the 49ers up to that point.
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting it at all," Winters said, via David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. "I was surprised quite a bit. Everything happens for a reason. I'm excited to be back home, and I get to play for the Dallas Cowboys."
Winters, originally from Texas and having played ball at TCU, figured to enjoy a more prominent role with Dallas in contrast to what he would have experienced with the Niners heading into this season. Despite taking on a more prominent role in 2025, thanks to Greenlaw's departure to the Denver Broncos, the latter's return ultimately signaled a less-important role for Winters.
"I'm not really familiar with the scheme yet, but from what I'm learning right now, it looks like I'm going to be in a lot of space, and I'm excited about that," Winters continued. "The way that I move in open space, and when I don't have to deal with some o-linemen, football is way more fun that way. This scheme fits perfectly for me."
San Francisco can certainly hope the best for its former linebacker, aside from any opportunity the two longtime rivals are squaring off against each other.
And that will happen one of the weeks in 2026, as the 49ers are slated to visit the Cowboys.
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