CLEVELAND, Ohio — Freddie Kitchens, whom many have pigeonholed as a coordinator despite just a handful of games calling plays, should be a legitimate candidate for the Browns’ head coaching job.

“I heard the other day somebody say something about I wasn’t ready to be a head coach,’’ Kitchens said during his regular Thursday press conference. “I mean, who the hell’s ready to be a head coach?’’

Was Sean McVay ready to be a head coach when the Rams hired him in 2017 at age 30 — the youngest coach in modern NFL history? McVay, who won AP NFL Coach of the Year for his 11-5 record and NFC West title, didn’t even call the plays as Redskins’ coordinator from 2014-16 under Jay Gruden.

Kitchens, who brought the offense to life after Hue Jackson and Todd Haley were fired, made it clear that it’s always been his goal to be a head coach.

"Definitely,’’ he said. “No doubt."

He was asked about the report this week by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, who stated that Kitchens has the Browns’ OC job locked up following the Browns’ 17-16 victory in Denver.

“I don’t know,’’ said Kitchen. “Jay, he knows more than I know, I guess.’’

Kitchens, 44, emphasized that he’s not lobbying for either job.

“I don’t have to, and I won’t ever,’’ he said. “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.’’

He acknowledged, however, that Cleveland is a fit for him and his blue-collar background.

“I like it here and I like it here a lot, and everybody around here knows that I like it here,’’ said Kitchens, who started out as the running backs coach under Jackson and Haley. “I love the town of Cleveland. Cleveland and I get along well. I didn’t have a dad as a coach, okay?

“I didn’t have a starting point in this league. I grew up the son of a tire maker at Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Gadsden, Alabama. 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.’’

Kitchens acknowledged that Gregg Williams had no say in Kitchens’ appointment as coordinator after Jackson and Haley were fired with the Browns at 2-6-1 and languishing on offense.

So who put Kitchens in charge of the offense?

“Mr. Jimmy (Haslam) and John (Dorsey). They did,’’ said Kitchens. “I think I probably wasn't Gregg's first choice, but hell, I'm here. 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."

Take the Browns’ superb performance in the red zone under Kitchens — 15 TDs in 16 trips — with the only miss coming last week when they went for it on fourth-and-1 in Denver and Nick Chubb was knocked back two yards. Kitchens attributes it to the execution of the players in general, and Baker Mayfield specifically.

“His execution has picked up, and the people around him, their execution has picked up,’’ said Kitchens. “Sometimes with guys, a sense of urgency helps their execution level, and I think that has been the case.”

One thing is for certain, Mayfield and Kitchens have connected, and that will mean something when Dorsey begins the interview process soon. In a year with so few hot candidates, an offensive coach who has Mayfield playing lights out is going to look pretty good.

In six games under Kitchens, Mayfield is 4-2, with 13 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 109.3 rating, fourth highest in the NFL in that span.

He’s also been sacked only five times in the past six games, tied for fewest in the NFL. In the red zone, he’s an amazing 17-of-20 with 10 TDs and has climbed to No. 2 in red zone passing behind only the great Drew Brees. Mayfield’s 70.7 completion percentage is third in that span, and his 8.66 yards per attempt is second only to Patrick Mahomes’ 8.73 since Week 9.

It’s hard to argue with the numbers, but it’s more than that.

Mayfield and Kitchens have a mutual respect, and close working relationship. Kitchens, who’s always cracking jokes, teases him about buying his headbands at Lululemon, and Mayfield imitates Kitchens’ Alabama twang. Kitchens knows when to yell at him -- like he did in the first half of the Broncos game -- and when to praise him -- as when Mayfield audibled and threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Antonio Callaway.

The Kitchens’ resume is also impressive. He played quarterback for three seasons at Alabama under Gene Stallings, and understands the position. He’s also worked for some of the brightest minds in football, serving as a grad assistant under Nick Saban at LSU in 2000, and coaching tight ends for the Cowboys under Bill Parcells in 2006.

He spent 11 years in Arizona working under Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians, spending four seasons coaching quarterback Carson Palmer. Under Kitchens’ tutelage, Palmer set multiple single-season team records, including passing yards (4,671), touchdown passes (35), and passer rating (104.6).

Arians thinks so much of Kitchens that he recently told NFL Network that he’d keep him on as offensive coordinator if he got the job. In his Football Morning in America column this week, NBC Sports Peter King sang the coordinator’s praises, and not just to run an offense.

“Kitchens sounds exactly like the kind of coach teams in a coaching search should investigate,’’ wrote King. “Everyone’s looking for the next (Sean) Payton, the next Sean McVay. Could it be the barrel-chested Alabamian who, despite never having been a coordinator before, has turned the Cleveland offense into must-see TV in his seven weeks on the job?’’

Dorsey will go through the process of interviewing candidates as planned, but he just might have a viable one already in the house.