Shedeur Sanders' first pass with the Browns went to the defense

Billy Heyen

Shedeur Sanders' first pass with the Browns went to the defense image

Shedeur Sanders hopes to throw many, many passes in his Cleveland Browns and NFL career.

His first ever with a defense on the field, during rookie minicamp on Friday, was not a good one.

When the Browns broke into their team period, the offense set up in the red zone with Sanders under center.

He went play-action, backed up with a free pass-rusher in his face, and threw a lob toward the left sideline.

One problem: The guy who caught it was playing on the defense.

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Sanders is generally an accurate passer, having completed 74 percent of his throws in his final season at Colorado.

But the speed of the NFL is just different. Sanders already showed a collegiate propensity toward taking sacks.

If pressure causes him to make wonky throws in the NFL, that's not a good sign.

To be fair to Sanders, he went on to have a solid day.

But if first impressions or initial omens are something you believe in, this wasn't a great start.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle