BEREA — Freddie Kitchens’ goal has always been to become a head coach.

“Definitely. No doubt,” he said Thursday.

He appears to be on the right path.

Kitchens has been offensive coordinator for less than two months but is considered a rising star by some and has started to draw buzz as a potential head coaching candidate after overseeing the improvement of rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense.




Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer said Sunday during the pregame telecast Kitchens “did lock up” Cleveland’s coordinator job for next year. The statement seems premature given the Browns haven’t hired a head coach, but it speaks to the positive impression Kitchens has made since replacing Todd Haley after he and coach Hue Jackson were fired Oct. 29.

“Jay, he knows more than I know, I guess,” Kitchens said. “But I’m serious when I tell you I don’t advertise for jobs. I don’t have to, and I won’t ever.

“I heard the other day somebody say something about I wasn’t ready to be a head coach. I mean, who the hell’s ready to be a head coach? You have a resume that you check off the list and everything? I’m not worried about head coach, coordinator, I don’t care. I’m just trying to do the job that I’m doing right now, today, and then do a good job tomorrow and then the next day and see where I’m at at the end of the year. I really, truly don’t put any thought into beyond this week.”

The Browns (6-7-1) have two games left before the coaching search kicks into high gear. Kitchens said he wants to return.

“I like it here and I like it here a lot, and everybody around here knows that I like it here,” he said. “I love the town of Cleveland. Cleveland and I get along well.”

Kitchens, 44, was a three-year starter at quarterback for Alabama but considers himself an underdog in NFL coaching circles.

“I didn’t have a dad as a coach. I didn’t have a starting point in this league,” he said. “I grew up the son of a tiremaker at Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Gadsden, Ala.

“Benjamin E. Mays said those who start behind in the game of life must run faster to catch up, and I feel like I’ve been running fast my whole life. And that’s the way it’s going to continue, so whether it’s here or what, I’m just here to do a job right now, this week and this year.”

The Browns have gone 4-2 since the coaching changes, including winning four of the last five. They’re averaging 23.3 points and are climbing the league rankings under Kitchens. Mayfield has completed 71 percent for 1,594 yards, 13 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 109.3 rating.

When Gregg Williams was named interim coach, he said he didn’t pick Kitchens. The decision came from owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager John Dorsey.

Williams focused on finishing strong, as he builds case to keep job

“I probably wasn’t Gregg’s first choice but, hell, I’m here,” Kitchens said. “Hell, he wasn’t mine, either. I’m just kidding.

“I think both of us were put in tough situations, and I think we both have done fairly well. It’s all about the players. It’s the players making plays and the players being good in critical situations. Sometimes as coaches we put a little more emphasis on ourselves than we do everybody else and more importantly it’s those other people that make you successful or not.”

Perhaps the most impressive improvement under Kitchens is in the red zone. The Browns have scored touchdowns on 15 of 16 trips inside the 20-yard line since he started calling the plays. The only miss was in Denver on Saturday when a fourth-and-1 run was stopped within the final two minutes.

“It is an understanding the spatial awareness of what is going on down there, how they are using their personnel, how well we are using our personnel, keeping track of the tendencies that we do show and staying one step ahead,” Williams said.

“He doesn’t have any tendencies so you don’t know what to predict when we get down there,” receiver Jarvis Landry said. “So I think that that helps us a lot.

“Not (having been) a coordinator, so nobody’s understanding what he’s trying to do, and then calling the right plays at the right time, too.”

The offseason should be an exciting one for Kitchens. He could interview for head coaching jobs, including with the Browns, or become a full-time coordinator for the first time here or elsewhere.

He refuses to get ahead of himself.

“I’m not worried about two weeks from now. I can promise you that,” he said. “I’m worried about getting these guys on offense ready to play this game. This is a big game for us because it’s the first step of doing what we want to accomplish, and I think that’s where we’ve tried to maintain the focus.”