Dallas Cowboys land linebacker Logan Wilson before NFL trade deadline as defense gets urgent reset

Bassyonni

ago 1 month

Logan Wilson

The Dallas Cowboys made their biggest in-season move of 2025 on Tuesday, acquiring linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals for a 2026 seventh-round pick just hours before the NFL trade deadline (4 p.m. ET, Nov. 4). The deal comes one day after a 27–17 home loss to the Cardinals that dropped Dallas to 3–5–1 and amplified concerns about a defense allowing too many explosive plays.

Logan Wilson trade: why the Cowboys moved now

For weeks, league chatter centered on the Cowboys’ need for a tone-setting second-level defender. Wilson, 29, checks key boxes: durability, ball production and leadership. He stacked four straight 100-tackle seasons, has 11 career interceptions (elite for a linebacker) and brings experience calling a huddle for a playoff defense. His snap count dipped this fall amid a youth movement in Cincinnati, and he requested a fresh start. Dallas pounced with a low-cost flier that doesn’t compromise future drafts.

Contractually, Wilson slots in cleanly. He’s on a multi-year deal signed in 2023, giving the Cowboys team-control beyond 2025—valuable if his arrival stabilizes a unit that has struggled to get off the field. The price (a late pick two drafts out) signals a classic buy-low: meaningful upside at minimal cost.

How Logan Wilson fits the Cowboys’ defense

Dallas has been gashed between the tackles and on option looks, forcing safeties into too many clean-up tackles. Wilson’s tape shows three traits that translate right away:

Processing speed: Quick keys against pullers and split flow, reducing 6–8 yard “freebies” on early downs.
Ball skills: Finds passing lanes and converts tips—his interception production is not a fluke.
Communication: Experience wearing the green dot eases alignment issues that surfaced the past three weeks.

Expect Wilson to work into sub-packages first, then take on a larger role as the playbook expands. He pairs with the current inside group to give Dallas flexibility: heavier boxes versus power teams and more match-zone options on third down.

Cowboys today: record, score, schedule outlook

Dallas enters the deadline at 3–5–1, second in the NFC East. Recent form: L vs. Cardinals, 27–17 (Mon, Nov. 3). The timing helps—Week 10 is a bye, providing a runway to integrate terminology and adjust fronts with Wilson on the field during practice install.

Next three games (all times ET; schedule subject to change):

Week 11: Mon, Nov. 17 — at Raiders, 8:15 p.m.
Week 12: Sun, Nov. 23 — vs. Eagles, 4:25 p.m.
Week 13 (Thanksgiving): Thu, Nov. 27 — vs. Chiefs, 4:30 p.m.

That stretch—two prime-time showcases plus a division tilt—will define whether Dallas can climb back into the NFC wildcard mix.

What the trade means for the Cowboys’ standings and playoff push

At 3–5–1, Dallas has little margin for error. The quickest path to relevance is defensive improvement on first down. If Wilson helps cut opponents’ early-down success rate by even a few percentage points, third-and-mediums replace third-and-shorts, where the Cowboys’ pass rush still wins. A modest defensive swing (roughly 3–4 points per game) often flips one-score outcomes over a six-week span—exactly the runway Dallas faces from mid-November to late December.

There’s also a locker-room signal here: the front office is acting, not waiting. That matters for a roster that has played high-variance football—huge offensive bursts followed by long droughts when the defense can’t flip field position.

Cowboys trade deadline watch: more moves possible

Team leadership left the door open for additional trades before the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, with emphasis on back-seven depth and trenches. Low-cost, special-teams-friendly profiles would fit the pattern established by the Wilson deal. If anything else materializes, expect complementary pieces rather than blockbusters; the cap math and draft-pick strategy point to targeted adds.

Key takeaways for Cowboys fans searching “Cowboys score,” “Cowboys game tonight,” and “Cowboys standings”

Score recap: Last game — Cardinals 27, Cowboys 17 (Mon, Nov. 3).
Game tonight/today: No game today; bye in Week 10; next game Mon, Nov. 17 at Raiders (8:15 p.m. ET).
Standings snapshot: Cowboys 3–5–1, 2nd in NFC East entering the bye.
Trade headline: Logan Wilson to Dallas for a 2026 seventh-round pick; immediate defensive role expected.

The bottom of the roster just got better—now the top must finish

Logan Wilson’s arrival raises the defense’s floor. For the Cowboys to turn the corner, the stars must handle the ceiling: cleaner two-minute execution, fewer penalties that extend drives, and sharper red-zone sequencing. If Wilson stabilizes the middle and the offense maintains its explosive ceiling, Dallas can turn a rocky first half into a credible December push. All eyes now shift to how quickly he’s on the field—and whether one savvy deadline swing can change the Cowboys’ season arc.