PFF projects passing totals for Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa

Slated for a Week 1 return after an offseason of rehab, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow projects to be right in the thick of the stats race among all quarterbacks next year.

Most interesting is how he might compare to his fellow 2020 draftees, Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Pro Football Focus took a stab at full-season yard projections recently, outlining the three notables as so:

• Herbert: 4,675
• Burrow: 4,537
• Tagovailoa: 4,522

Herbert and Burrow indeed figure to be in a close race if both can stay on the field for 17 games. Tagovailoa might seem a bit too optimistic after his so-so play last year and what amounts to his first full season in 2021.

Either way, Burrow figures to be right there with Herbert, if not every passer in the NFL given the way the Bengals keep upgrading the weapons around him.

And just recently, the Herbert vs. Burrow debate took another interesting turn.

Passing yard projections for the 2nd-year QBs

Which QB would you want on your team for the next 10 years? pic.twitter.com/2kdt3PmDWH

— PFF (@PFF) June 29, 2021