The Browns will interview both Gregg Williams and Freddie Kitchens in the team's search for a head coach.
Browns general manager John Dorsey confirmed the interviews Monday, about 13 hours after the Browns lost their regular season finale at Baltimore.
Both candidates made a positive impact over the season's final eight games. Williams galvanized a group of players amid the midseason coaching change while Kitchens revamped the Browns' previously stagnant offense.
For Williams' part, Dorsey commended the interim coach on developing players after a difficult midseason shake up. And while all five of the Browns' wins under Williams came against teams that finished with losing records, there's value in how, as Dorsey put it, the Williams-led Browns "brought a little sense of pride back to the Cleveland Browns."
And where Williams brought pride, Kitchens brought creativity. Kitchens' playbook tweaks suited Baker Mayfield, the Browns' prized rookie quarterback, quite well. So well that Mayfield ranked top-five in the league in passer rating during the second half of the season.
"I think (Kitchens) has earned (an interview)," Dorsey said. "He has done a nice job in his role as offensive coordinator. I think this organization wants to get to know him a little bit better."
Dorsey will familiarize himself with several coaches throughout the interview process, starting with Williams on Tuesday. That's about the only detail Dorsey would reveal, though. It's unclear when Kitchens will interview or who else will earn the same chance.
"I just want to let you know it is going to be very thorough, it is going to be very deliberate," Dorsey said. "(Owners) Dee and Jimmy (Haslam) have asked me to take the lead in the process, along with various members of this organization. We formed a search committee. It is going to help us find the best available coach for this organization moving forward."
