Inside The Star
Cole Wisniewski is worth paying attention to as the Dallas Cowboys look at what this defense needs to become under Christian Parker.
If Dallas is serious about improving, which it looks like the team is, this is the type of safety who makes sense for the new defensive coordinator.
We will here draft hype on several players, but that’s just it, hype. The Dallas Cowboys have to start thinking about fit when it comes to the changes that need to be made in 2026.
The Cowboys haven’t lacked talent on defense, but they have lacked unpredictability. Everything in 2025 looked the same before the snap, and offenses have known exactly where to go with the ball.
Parker’s background suggests that’s not how he wants to run a defense. His approach leans toward more movement, disguise, and putting more on the safeties to read what’s developing instead of just sitting.
That alone could put the safety position front and center in this reset.
Wisniewski isn’t flashy, but at 6’4” and around 220 pounds, he brings a presence the Cowboys haven’t consistently had over the middle of the field.
He doesn’t float in coverage or drift out of position, and he understands spacing well enough to anticipate where routes are headed instead of reacting late.
When you watch him rotate, it’s decisive. When he is sitting in zone, throwing lanes tighten and quarterbacks don’t get the same clean looks they’re used to.
That is the type of safety I believe Christian Parker can do things with.
We’ve watched the same movie play out season after season. Tight ends working the seams, receivers crossing behind linebackers, and safeties arriving a step late to make a tackle several yards downfield.
Cole Wisniewski helps with this issue. He is big enough to rotate down and make an impact on those intermediate areas and hold his ground physically.
His frame alone makes quarterbacks think twice about forcing throws over the middle, especially near the goal line.
And when he gets there, he flicks the hit stick, which is the enforcer type of player this defense has missed on the cable end.
Wisniewski has given teams a complete look at how he played after injury, at linebacker, and at safety. He showed how he handled the jump in competition at Texas Tech.
I believe this puts him firmly in the Round 5 or Round 6 range of the 2026 NFL Draft.
For the Cowboys, this is the type of pick that often makes the most sense, a player valued more for fit than flash.
In Dallas, he can handle specific responsibilities and develop within Christian Parker’s system without being forced into too much too soon.
I think that is how you build a secondary with depth instead of...
