Caleb HightowerWed, April 29, 2026 at 7:27 PM UTC·1 min readCowboys attempted to steal Texans' $34 million star defender before Dee Winters trade, per report originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Acquiring Dee Winters from the San Francisco 49ers was among the Dallas Cowboys’ beneficial NFL Draft roster moves.
The Cowboys have been on the hunt for a game-changing linebacker since the start of the offseason, and landing Winters by trading a sixth-round pick (No. 216 overall) to the 49ers during the draft was a creative way to bolster the aspect of their defense (Winters recorded a career-high 101 tackles with the 49ers in 2025-26).
However, before adding Winters to the equation, the Cowboys reportedly attempted to steal the Houston Texans’ star defender (linebacker), but ultimately couldn’t make it happen.
"Before trading for Dee Winters, the#Cowboys talked to the#Texans about (Azeez) Al-Shaair,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday (per ESPN’s Todd Archer). “But Houston values Al-Shaair for his play on the field and community work off of it. Now putting their money down to further prove it.”
Al-Shaair, who just secured a three-year extension with the Texans after a remarkable campaign (103 tackles and one forced fumble) that earned him his first All-Pro nod, played an integral role in Houston’s dominance on the defensive side of the ball.
His surefire tackling chops against the run and in coverage, combined with his ability to sniff out plays before they’re executed, helped him wreak havoc from start to finish. It’s safe to say Houston wouldn’t have possessed a top-5 defense without Al-Shaair’s contributions, explaining why the Cowboys recently pursued him.
However, trade talks with Houston didn’t result in a blockbuster deal for Al-Shaair, so the five-time Super Bowl champions turned their attention to a capable LB in Winters.
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