The NFL is a copycat league and in some cases, quite literally.

The Bills are in the midst of a week of practices and a preseason game with the Carolina Panthers, the old stomping grounds of Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane. That pair knows Panthers quarterback Cam Newton rather well.

In terms of copying the Panthers, the Bills have an awfully comparable QB to him in Josh Allen. Tall, athletic, with a strong arm (prior to Newton’s injuries). The nature of the business is to compare players to their elders, Allen has even drawn comparisons to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, too.

But wrapping up this web of comparisons, Allen really doesn’t deserve those comparisons. There’s Super Bowls, All-Pro selections and MVP Awards between those two vets. And Allen recognizes that, which is why he’s totally fine with folks comparing him to those two.

“(Newton’s) a big, mobile, strong armed quarterback that puts the ball where he wants to put the ball so I’m not mad at the comparisons at all. I think he’s been playing this game at a high level for a very long time,” Allen told reporters this week.

With those similarities and age in mind, how long could it take Allen to reach those levels? One step at a time, of course, but that next step is Year 2.

Here’s how both Newton and Roethlisberger fared in their second seasons, for those curious:

Cam Newton

Year 1: 60% completion rate, 4,051 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 17 interceptions.

Year 2: 57.7%, 3,869 passing yards, 19 TDs, 12 INTs.

Ben Roethlisberger

Year 1: (14 games played), 66.4%, 2,621 passing yards, 17 TDs, 11 INTs.

Year 2: (12 GP) 62.7%, 2,385 passing yards, 17 TDs, 9 INTs.

Oh, and Ben, you know, might’ve won a Super Bowl or something that second season along with those stats….