How improved vision could unlock this new Cowboys defender
The Dallas Cowboys made a clever move during draft weekend by trading for Dee Winters, adding a solid linebacker to a defense that was desperately looking for help in the middle. The move was met with praise, as he brings athleticism and untapped potential to the defense. He’s not a big name, but that doesn’t mean he can’t turn into an integral piece of the Cowboys’ linebacking group. While such a revelation would be a huge win for Dallas, what are the chances that’s a realistic outcome? Today, we’ll take a closer look to see just how excited we should be about the addition of Winters.
Winters is coming off a breakout season. He’s shown year-to-year progress, transforming from a first-year special teams player to a 17-game starter, that racked up over 100 tackles last year. He learned behind talented linebackers in San Francisco and capitalized on opportunities when he was given them. One team’s depth is another team’s starter, and the Cowboys are hoping they can keep his upward trajectory going.
Looking at his strengths, everything starts with his elite sideline-to-sideline speed. There were 80 interceptions by linebackers last year, but only one of them eclipsed 20 mph when returning the ball. Winters was that one. His rapid acceleration also shows up in his closing burst. Last season, he allowed just 4.9 yards per target last season, the second-lowest mark last year. When he gets going, he absolutely flies, shutting down the play before pass-catchers can even think about running after the catch.
The young linebacker has some areas that need to be cleaned up. Winters is not a big guy. His lighter 227-pound frame makes him vulnerable to being washed out by bigger offensive linemen climbing to the second level. His mental processing also shows up in the form of over-aggression and poor pursuit angles. Opposing teams were aware and frequently challenged him. He was targeted 88 times in coverage last season, second-most among all linebackers.
The Cowboys coaching staff has a clear understanding of what they have in him and will try to put him in a position to be successful. The defense has assembled a powerful block-eating interior defensive line featuring Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. By taking on the heat in the trenches, the defensive tackles will help keep Winters from heavy contact and allow him to use his speed to have clean shots to chase down ball carriers.
The real key to unlocking his full potential hinges on improving his mental processing. Winters needs to be less reactive and more predictive, using his eyes to make the correct pre-snap reads. Instead of getting duped by pre-snap eye candy, he’ll need to have his eyes locked into the right place. Proper reads will shorten his trigger time and help him make better decisions.
By refining this visual discipline, Winters can easily avoid getting faked out by counter moves. Once his eyes learn to instantly detect the difference between a running back’s fake and the actual movement of the offensive line, he can drastically reduce those over-pursuit angles that occasionally plagued him last season. Proper pre-snap evaluation of formations will allow him to guide his eyes toward the most likely options the play might take. Anticipating the offense’s intentions based on their alignment will put him in a much better position to make a play on the ball rather than just running aimlessly.
Ultimately, Winters is already a good linebacker, but his full ceiling remains an unknown. He definitely has structural limitations to his game, but he is still very early in his development. If he can turn the corner on some of these mental elements and sharpen his eyes, he has a good chance to become a major, high-impact asset for this Cowboys defense.
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