CLEVELAND, Ohio — Saints tight ends/assistant head coach Dan Campbell has what it takes to be the Browns’ ninth full-time head coach, and should be a leading contender for the job.

The Browns completed their interview with Campbell, 42, on Friday evening, and were likely blown away by the Bill Parcells’ disciple.

He just might pair nicely with another branch from the Parcells coaching tree in offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, whom the Browns have blocked from interviewing with other teams for coordinator positions, presumably in hopes of keeping him around. Kitchens will also interview for the head coaching job soon.

Campbell brings 10 years’ experience as an NFL tight end, including three under Parcells, seven years as an assistant coach with the Dolphins and Saints, and 12 games as an interim head coach for the Dolphins in 2015, where he went 5-7.

Parcells has served as an unofficial advisor to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam for several years, and undoubtedly highly recommends Campbell, who is also strongly endorsed by John Dorsey’s former Chiefs right-hand man -- Colts GM Chris Ballard, who interviewed Campbell last year after Josh McDaniels left the Colts at the altar. Ballard opted for Frank Reich, but indicated it was a difficult choice.

“I think he’s going to be an outstanding head coach,’’ Ballard told Alex Marvez in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s not a matter of if, but when. Most tight ends who play in this league are very smart. They’ve got to know both the passing and running game. When we interviewed Dan, you see that in him.

"He’s been mentored and trained playing under Bill Parcells and coaching under Sean Payton. He’s got a great vision of what he wants (his team) to be.’’

Campbell emulated the leadership skills of his Cowboys head coach Parcells all the way back to the late 1990s, when he wrote a paper on the Hall of Fame coach as an undergraduate at Texas A&M. In his research, he identified similarities between Parcells and then-A&M coach R.C. Slocum.

"Just from a philosophy standpoint on how you play the game, offensively and defensively, it was like identical,” Campbell told Marvez in The Sporting News in May. “It’s about running the football. Your quarterback makes smart decisions. You don’t win or lose with the quarterback. Those are the (games) you’re winning because of your defense and you’ve got time of possession with the run game. And then when you throw it, they’re explosive passes.”

Campbell also admired Parcells’ ability to use psychology on different players.

"One player had to be pushed differently than this one,” Campbell said in that interview. “He always talked about Lawrence Taylor needing a different message than Phil Simms, Jim Burt and Harry Carson did. I was always fascinated by that. And then once you go to play for the guy, you understand exactly what he’s doing and how he’s doing it. It’s so simple, it’s brilliant.”

In playing for Parcells with the Cowboys from 2003-05, Campbell learned motivation from the master.

"You talk about a guy who can piss you off to the point where you just want to explode and choke him," Campbell said. “And then you step back and you go out there and you’re playing lights out. You’re like, ‘You know what? That sucker knows exactly what he’s doing. He wanted to get under my skin. He did, and now I’m giving him my best.'"

When the Dolphins fired Joe Philbin in 2015 after a 1-3 start, they chose fifth-year tight ends coach Campbell to be the interim coach, despite being only 39 — the youngest head coach in the league at the time. Campbell went 5-7 -- including a 20-10 victory over the 12-4 Patriots in the season finale. But the Dolphins passed him over for the full-time gig in favor of Adam Gase, who was fired Monday after going 23-25 in his three seasons, 0-1 in the playoffs.

Still, Campbell learned a lot, including how to handle the responsibilities of the position. He realized he had to be harder on his players.

“One of the hardest things for ex-players who are coaches is for them to really drive their players,’’ he said. “They’ve been in their shoes. … That’s the worst thing that you can do. That gets a lot of coaches who aren’t hard enough on them.”

Campbell, who’s set to interview with the Cardinals on Saturday according to John Gambadoro of Arizona’s Sports Station 98.7 FM and will also talk to the Packers, according to NFL Network, is the fourth candidate to be interviewed by the Browns. The first three were interim coach Gregg Williams, former Colts and Lions coach Jim Caldwell and Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

The Browns are scheduled to interview Patriots defensive play caller and linebackers coach Brian Flores over the weekend, likely on Saturday, and have requested permission to speak with Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported the Browns will interview former Packers coach Mike McCarthy next week.

Regardless of who the Browns end up with, Dorsey made it clear the kind of person he’s seeking.

“You want a man of character,’’ Dorsey said Monday. “A guy who can instill leadership into these young men. A guy who is a collaborative thinker. A guy who is a continuous learner. A guy who is consistent on a day in and day out basis and who those players can look up to and go, ‘You know what? I will follow that guy anywhere.’’’

Those who’ve worked with Campbell or have been coached by him rave about him.

“He’s got a personality now, too. He’ll put on funny clips [when coaches present the scouting report each week]. He knows when to kind of loosen up and have fun,” quarterback Drew Brees told ESPN.com. “He’s a guy who played a long time. So he’s got a level of respect coming from guys for how he played -- he’s a tough, physical guy.

"He just really cares about his players. You can see that in the way he talks to us, talks to his position group. He’s just a good person. So you combine all those things, and then he’s a person that you want to follow.''

Left tackle Terron Armstead said he’d “run through a brick wall" for Campbell.

“He got it, man. He got it,’’ said Armstead. “Everybody here would do whatever for that guy. Being so relatable, having done it for so long, just has a great connection with the younger players. I’ve never seen him badmouth anybody, [it’s] more talking up to you. Even when they mess up, he’s gonna talk up to them. And you just want to play for somebody like that.”

Payton, who coached Campbell as assistant head coach to Parcells from 2003-05, also praises him.

“He’s a fantastic leader,’’ Payton told ESPN.com. “Obviously played a long time in this league. He’s everything you want. Extremely dedicated, hardworking. He’s exactly how he was as a player. And I tried to hire him a number of times and finally had that opportunity. So, we’re fortunate to have him.”

Within the next month or so, the Browns just might be too.