Three years ago, Perrion Winfrey was on top of the world.
After having to go the junior college route before landing a prominent role at Oklahoma, Winfrey shined bright enough in his two seasons with the Sooners to be selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Despite the ups and downs of having to earn his way to major college football the hard way, Winfrey had achieved his dream of playing in the NFL.
Until it all came crashing down.
Winfrey played in 13 games in his rookie season with the Browns in mostly rotational work, and he was in line to pick up more responsibilities going into his second season.
But that’s when the off-the-field issues started to pile up.
In April 2023, Winfrey was arrested in Harris County, Texas after being accused of forcibly grabbing the hand of a woman he was dating, causing “bodily injury” to the victim, according to court records. The charge was later dismissed after he completed a pretrial diversion program.
Two months later, Winfrey was released from the Browns after police listed him as a suspect in an aggravated robbery incident in which he allegedly threatened a woman with a gun, struck her on the side of the neck and stole her cellphone in Cleveland just days before the team reported to training camp.
Winfrey bounced back to make the New York Jets practice squad, but was released in December 2023. While he never gave up on himself , he thought football was over.
“It really matured me a lot,” Winfrey said. “Growing up and realizing all of the things that I went through didn’t make me a bad person, it just shaped me into the person that I am today. I’m learning from those things and just gaining overall maturity.”
He easily remembers the last time he touched an NFL field. “December 3, 2023,” he said.
After waiting on a phone call for an opportunity for almost a year, Winfrey was signed by the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL to play in the spring 2025 season. He played 11 games and made his way onto the All-UFL team before, getting another NFL opportunity, this time with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Playing that UFL season was a blessing,” he said. “I haven’t played football in so long. The rust that I had, UFL saw it in practices in stuff. When I came to training camp, I was hitting the ground running hot. I had already played 11 games. When we put on full pads, it was just another day to me.”
For the better part of the last decade, the Cowboys have struggled to find consistency at the defensive tackle position. From missing on 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith to cycling through aging veterans like Johnathan Hankins and Linval Joseph, the position group has been in dire need of somebody to step up as a viable long-term option.
While that was not the expectation when the Cowboys signed Winfrey before training camp, the Illinois native has shined in the team’s 18 practices and three preseason games, putting himself in prime position to earn his way back onto a 53-man roster two years after he thought it would maybe never happen again.
“God is good,” Winfrey said after the final preseason game. “I did all I could. Control what you can control. What I could control was going out there and dominating the game like I know I could. I just appreciate the Cowboys for giving me this opportunity to come here and play in this preseason. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back in the NFL. To be around these guys is a blessing.”
When Winfrey speaks these days, it’s from the heart. He is the first one to admit his past mistakes, but he’s also the first to want to prove that it can be part of a great redemption story. So much so, that when he had his first child, a son, in November, he named him just that.
Story.
“I feel like he’s going to carry on a great legacy, so I thought that would be a great name for him,” he said. “I’m realizing I can’t do half of the things I was doing before. It changed my life altogether, for real. If that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
In three preseason games, Winfrey combined for six tackles, one sack and one pass deflection. Now, the decision of his future is in the hands of the Cowboys’ front office when the roster is cut down from 91 to 53 on Tuesday afternoon.
Win or lose, Winfrey is appreciative of the chance the Cowboys have provided.
“When they gave me this opportunity, I not only wanted to do what I needed to do for my family, but I wanted to do what I needed to do for the Cowboys,” Winfrey said. “They believed in me when nobody else did. I’m willing to put my life on the line, my body, whatever it is to see this organization win.”
“I am one of those players that will fight for them, regardless of anything. If they put me out there, I’m going to do what it takes to win a game.”