Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has released an open letter, pleading for the team's supporters to remain patient as they bid to find a new head coach.

Haslam's letter to season-ticket holders and the media served as an update about where the team are in terms of replacing Rob Chudzinski, who was fired in December after leading the Browns to a 4-12 season.

The Browns have come under criticism for their approach to finding a new boss, with all of the other teams who fired coaches now having appointed replacements.

In the letter, Haslam said: "We have had the opportunity to speak to a number of outstanding candidates. We have purposefully been very methodical in our approach. We believe it is very important to stay disciplined to this process and to interview all of the candidates on our list. We are strongly committed to finding the right person to coach the Cleveland Browns.

"We understood from the beginning that if we wanted to speak to all of the coaches on our list that we may need to wait until they have completed their participation in the playoffs.

"We are prepared to wait as long as necessary because this is a very important decision. Everyone in our organization is committed to finding the right leader for our team.

"We believe the head coach of the Cleveland Browns to be a very attractive position. We have one of the youngest teams in the League, a roster that includes five Pro Bowlers.

"In addition, we have more salary-cap room than all but one NFL team. We also have three of the top 35 picks in the upcoming draft and five of the top 83 selections."

Chudzinski was the sixth Browns coach since 1999, only holding the position for less than a year.