Steelers Rookie Germie Bernard Announces The Plan Pittsburgh Has For Him Immediately

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot more intrigue at the wide receiver position than they did in previous years. Instead of just having DK Metcalf as an exciting option to throw to, he now has Michael Pittman Jr. running with him as rookie Germie Bernard looks to emerge from the crowd to become the starting slot receiver in Week 1. There is no doubt that the team is absolutely loaded with talent at that position, but the question is if they can put it all together and make one cohesive unit that thrives off of each other. 

After rookie minicamp concluded, Bernard explained what he focused on during that phase of the offseason, as well as the plan for the near future for him, as transcribed by Christopher Carter. 

"Coach [Adam] Henry, he's challenged me in some areas to get better at," Bernard said. "Just to continue to hone in on those things that they want me to get better at. But for the most part, they just want me to learn. It's all new. They’ve given me some grace right now. But like I said, for the most part, just learning and executing the plays that they want me to do."

For a rookie, learning a big pass-heavy offense could get confusing and overwhelming, especially for a player that expects to play all three receiver positions like Bernard is expected to. He is taking a large workload into his first ever NFL offseason program, as he is expected to run all kinds of routes while still learning the mechanics of being a quality wideout at the professional level. 

So far, there seems to be mixed results. Of course, trying to do all this at once is incredibly challenging, but it's only the beginning for him. He has some time before Organized Team Activities (OTAs) begin, so he can spend a lot of that time learning and understanding as much of the playbook as possible. When he returns for the next phase of the offseason, he can focus more on the physical work after getting more of the mental game figured out. 

Steelers' "Grace" Period Is Already Running Short

In a three-wideout scheme with a very ornery quarterback in Aaron Rodgers expected to lead the team, Bernard will have to perform like a professional almost immediately if he wants quality playing time throughout the season. That's why he's taking in this workload that is likely larger than most rookie wide receivers at this point: if he doesn't have everything executed to perfection, he will end up riding the bench his rookie season.

One of his new teammates can tell him all about that first-hand. In his second year in the NFL, Roman Wilson emerged as the best separator on the team. Despite that, he managed to get into someone's doghouse, whether that was the coaching staff or Rodgers himself. Because of that, he became a healthy scratch in favor of mid-season receiver acquisitions, and he is now in trade rumors due to him supposedly not being a fit in Pittsburgh. 

Bernard's plan is set in stone now: memorize as much of the playbook as possible and be as precise with his route running as possible. While rookies are typically not expected to know everything immediately, Rodgers has a much higher standard than most quarterbacks do. If the rookie succeeds in his plan, he will have a very long career in Pittsburgh. If not, he may be planning a flight elsewhere sooner rather than later.

What do you think about Bernard's intense workload to begin his NFL career, as well as how demanding Rodgers will be of him? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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