Speaking to reporters following the conclusion of the Cleveland Browns' 2019 season, it didn't take long for Jarvis Landry to find an answer when asked what the franchise currently needs most.
“Just leadership," Landry said. "Leadership.”
While the 5-time Pro Bowl selection wasn't necessarily taking a shot at Freddie Kitchens, who the Browns fired after the conclusion of their 6-10 season on Sunday night, it wasn't difficult to read between the lines of some of his comments on Monday morning. Asked if he felt leadership was lacking under Kitchens, Landry didn't say that was necessarily the case, but did point to the team's identity -- or lack thereof -- throughout the 2019 campaign.
"We just didn't really know what the plan was or what we were trying to do," Landry said. "I don't think we ever really found our identity."
As a result, perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that of the four head coaching candidates the Browns have already been linked to, two possess prior head coaching experience. And it's also worth noting that three of those four candidates are offensive-minded coaches, with Cleveland having reportedly requested interviews with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
Asked about the importance of Cleveland hiring a head coach with previous head coaching experience, Landry said, "I think it can help."
As for what specifically he's looking for in a head coach, the Browns' leading wide receiver this season said he'd leave that to the team's ownership and general manager John Dorsey. But he also noted that he doesn't believe that Browns are as far away from becoming a winner as it might have seemed at times this season.
"I knew there was no doubt that the people here were trying to win," he said. "Everybody in this organization we were trying to win. I just did not think we knew how to do it.”