Joe Burrow is 10th all-time in passing yards despite only playing 10 games

The Cincinnati Bengals are lucky to have Joe Burrow as their quarterback. The former LSU gunslinger was the easy choice with the No. 1 overall pick last year and despite only having 10 games under his belt as an NFL quarterback, Burrow already has found his way into the top 10 passing yards leaders in the Bengals organization.

Burrow threw for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions before he was sidelined with an injury that claimed the rest of his rookie season. The 2,688 yards Burrow tossed for before he was injured put him No. 10 overall in Bengals passing yards history, sitting not far behind Turk Schonert who threw for 2,756 yards between 1981 and 1989 (he was a backup during that time if you couldn’t tell).

With Burrow already finding himself in the top 10, it’s interesting to think where he could end up by the end of his second year under center for the Bengals. He’ll be able to pass Schonert’s 2,756 yards in the first week alone (unless something goes awry, of course, but knock on wood that doesn’t happen).

Realistically, Burrow could find himself as the No. 7 all-time passing yards leader when the 2021 season is all said and done. There’s a major jump from No. 7 all-time (David Klingler with 3,880 yards) and No. 6 all-time (Jon Kitna with 10,707 yards), meaning Burrow has to throw for 1,192 yards in order to launch himself into the No. 7 spot on the list.

From there, however, it’ll take him a few years to move up any further, as Kitna’s 10,707 yards won’t be obtainable until maybe year four at the earliest, unless Burrow tosses for 5,000+ yards in any of his upcoming seasons. Injuries could also slow things down for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Joe Burrow is already in the top 10 all-time in Bengals’ passing yards.

While it didn’t take Burrow long to find his way into the top 10 in the record books, after this year, it’s going to take some monster numbers for him to climb up any further. I mentioned Kitna’s numbers already, so here is the top five in Bengals’ passing yards history:

1. Ken Anderson (32,838)
2. Andy Dalton (31,594)
3. Boomer Esiason (27,149)
4. Carson Palmer (22,694)
5. Jeff Blake (15,134)

While the rest of the names on the list didn’t put up many yards, these five are going to take some time for Burrow to top. Assuming he stays healthy and has a respectable season, there’s no reason why Burrow shouldn’t be the seventh all-time passing yard leader when the 2021 season is all said and done.

It’ll be interesting to see how quickly he traverses up this ladder in the coming years.