Brandon Weeden wasn't the best rookie quarterback on the field Friday night in Cleveland. He wasn't even close.
The first-round draft pick experienced a "Welcome to the NFL" evening during the Cleveland Browns' 27-10 loss to the Eagles, while Nick Foles Fever continued to spread for Philadelphia. (Foles made a number of sensational throws, passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns with one interception on 19 attempts.)
Weeden completed his first four passes before connecting on just five of his next 16 throws. Weeden fumbled twice and also missed a few open passes down the field.
The protection wasn't great for Weeden, but his habit of holding the ball too low is a problem. His passes seem to have only one speed -- very fast -- which creates some issues with timing. Like a lot of rookies, he struggled to make reads before the snap that would have saved him.
These are all normal rookie problems. Every quarterback has to go through them. Weeden just doesn't have a lot of help around him, and he'll inevitably be compared to the other rookies in his class.
It was only the preseason, but Weeden has a lot of growing to do.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
