Mailbag: Is Winters the answer at linebacker? 

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

I feel like the Dee Winters trade flew under the radar during draft weekend. Is he the answer for our linebacker/green dot issue? Or will the team continue to look to bolster the linebacker group? – H. Melvin/Ocean City, NJ

Nick: I don't know if you can say THE answer at linebacker but he's certainly an answer and right now, one of the best options you've got. I can't say I know a lot about his game so I hesitate to call anyone the answer to the Cowboys' needs at linebacker. I know this, just about anyone can be an upgrade over what they had, especially last weekend when they only had two experienced linebackers on the roster.

And when I say experienced, that includes Shemar James and Demarion Overshown who are both still young and needing more reps. That's the situation right now at linebacker - they don't have a lot of experienced bodies who have been there.

So when you add Winters to the mix, here's a guy who has been there, he's played a lot of snaps and he's played around some of the best players in the game, including veteran Fred Warner, who in my opinion, is the best linebacker in football when he's healthy. But I think it would be irresponsible of all us not to remember last year and what happened at linebacker. A new defensive coordinator came in and the Cowboys added two veterans, including one who had played for Matt Eberflus in Chicago. And I think it's safe to say that neither Jack Sanborn or Kenneth Murray was the answer. Murray was a productive player for two different teams and it just didn't work out with the Cowboys. So yes, Winters is a step in the right direction but we're going to have to see how it plays out.

Kurt: This trade wasn't going to gain a lot of traction nationally, considering all the hoopla surrounding the NFL Draft, but the move was still significant for the Cowboys.

Now, is he the answer for this defense? That and whether he will hold down green-dot duties is still to be determined, but he certainly is going to bolster Christian Parker's troops. A 2023 sixth-round draft pick out of nearby TCU, Winters steadily improved in each of his three seasons with the 49ers. So much so that he started all 17 games and led the team with 101 tackles last year. He even returned his first career interception 74 yards for a touchdown.

So it's not like he wasn't productive for San Francisco. In fact, according to some reports he was simply the odd man out in a crowded 49ers linebacker room, allowing them to use their resources to pick up an extra draft pick. I also like the fact that he's been playing for a defense that has a reputation for being one of the most physical in the league, something Dallas could definitely use more of.

With all that said, you can bet the Cowboys are going to continue looking for ways to improve not only the linebacking corps, but the team as a whole. As those like Jerry and Stephen Jones, Will McClay and Brian Schottenheimer have repeatedly said, the pursuit of player acquisition never ends.

But being able to nab Winters, and for just a fifth-round pick at that, has no doubt already strengthened the 2026 version of this Cowboys defense.