Trevon Diggs sends clear message to Cowboys about who should replace Dan Quinn

In a stunning turn of events, Dan Quinn is the new head coach of the Washington Commanders. It looked for a while that Quinn would return as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, but Ben Johnson returning to Detroit rolled out the proverbial red carpet for Quinn to get the Washington job.

Now, the Cowboys can finally move toward hiring a replacement. Quinn had taken several interviews, so Dallas hopefully has a shortlist of candidates at the ready. With superstars like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs rushing the quarterback and patrolling the secondary, they need to get this hire right.

Defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. is considered the favorite, but reports indicate Whitt could follow Quinn to Washington. The Cowboys have the power to stop that in its tracks, but whether they intervene remains to be seen.

If you asked Trevon Diggs for his preferred choice to replace Quinn, though, he'd advocate for defensive backs coach Al Harris. Diggs made that clear as day on social media shortly after the Quinn's departure was confirmed.

Trevon Diggs wants Al Harris to replace Dan Quinn as Cowboys defensive coordinator

Harris is universally liked by the Cowboys organization. He's done outstanding work with Dallas' defensive backs, including Diggs. Even after Diggs suffered a torn ACL two games into the season, Bland rose to the occasion to the tune of setting the NFL pick-six record and Jourdan Lewis played arguably the best football of his seven-year career. All of that is a testament to Harris' coaching.

The big question, though, is whether Harris is ready to become a defensive coordinator. It's one thing to coach up a position group. Calling a defense is obviously a lot more complicated and Harris doesn't have any experience in that department. That's why many have pointed to Whitt as Quinn's likely replacement.

Whenever Quinn has missed time, it was Whitt -- not Harris -- who was tasked with calling plays. That'd be a monstrous leap for Harris, but he's certainly trending in that direction. He served as the Chiefs secondary coach for six seasons and just wrapped his fourth year as the Cowboys' DBs coach.

Diggs certainly thinks Harris is ready to make that leap. The only problem? Harris is on the record saying he'd follow Quinn wherever he goes. He played under Mike McCarthy in Green Bay for six seasons, so there's a history there, too, but it seems the bond he formed with Quinn could be the deciding factor.

Then again, the Cowboys just gave Diggs a five-year, $97 million extension. He's a franchise cornerstone and the front office would likely value his opinion on the matter. We'd still call it a longshot, but given Jerry Jones' unpredictable nature and Harris' popularity in the building, we wouldn't rule anything out.

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