Essendon coaching subcommittee member Jordan Lewis believes it is important the strife-torn AFL club keeps an open mind when it comes to selecting their next coach.
New Bombers president David Barham and football manager Josh Mahoney have indicated their desire for an "experienced" coach, with former Fremantle and St Kilda coach Ross Lyon a potential candidate.
Mark Williams has also been linked to the role after coaching great Denis Pagan backed the 2004 Port Adelaide premiership mentor.
Ex-Hawthorn premiership star Lewis, who sits on the six-person subcommittee that was appointed last week to select the Bombers' next coach, has previously declared long-time assistant coach Adem Yze a senior coach in waiting.
Yze is currently Melbourne's midfield coach.
The Bombers are also open to former coach James Hird applying for position vacated when Ben Rutten was sacked this month.
"From my point of view, I think it's important to come in with a really open mind in terms of who may apply for the job and also who may secure the job in the end," Lewis told reporters on Monday.
"I think experience is great and it's probably a club that needs experience; whether it's a senior coach or an AFL assistant coach.
"But me personally, I'll be as open-minded as I possibly can in terms of the applicants that apply and also who we may select in the end."
Lewis, who was named on Monday as this year's AFL premiership cup tour ambassador, expects the Bombers' search for a coach to intensify in the coming weeks.
"We're going through that early phase at the moment and I'd imagine once all the applicants are in, that will start to ramp up over the next four weeks," he said.
"It's an exciting thing to be a part of."
