The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some issues with the wide receiver position in recent years, and most of those issues have stemmed from a lack of talent in the room. The depth has been questionable throughout the decade, and it was clearly an area that the organization has been trying to fix as of late. This was evident by some of the moves General Manager Omar Khan made during the 2026 offseason as he acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts via trade and then traded up and drafted Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' new head coach Mike McCarthy works with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during Organized Team Activities.
Another factor to consider when thinking about the depth in the wide receiver room for the Steelers in 2026 is the potential progression of third-year player Roman Wilson. He has had a rough start to his career as he missed nearly his entire rookie year due to injury and then became a consistent healthy scratch in 2025. There was a ton of speculation suggesting that this was due to his relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and that theory was confirmed by beat writer Christopher Carter during a recent mailbag for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"Roman Wilson's going to be in competition with Germie Bernard in that role. Both worked with the first team offense during OTAs/minicamp," Carter wrote. "I think Wilson can earn more snaps, but he has to be more detailed in his routes and in-sync with Rodgers in his timing. That led to them wanting to get veteran guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen last year for Rodgers. If Wilson can build that trust with Rodgers in camp, he'll stand to get more chances. But make no mistake that Bernard is going to be working on that as well."
The question was initially asked about the third wide receiver spot on the depth chart, which is going to come down to Wilson and Bernard. One might think that Wilson would have the leg up as he has already spent a season with Rodgers and he has caught a couple of touchdowns from the quarterback, but that does not seem to be the case.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson during Phase One of the voluntary offseason workout program on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Wilson will look to improve upon his current relationship with the quarterback. Rodgers and Wilson could not gel on the field in 2025, which led to the Steelers going out and signing Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen to end the season, and both of those veterans played more than Wilson. This time around Wilson needs to be detail-oriented, and he needs to prove that Rodgers can trust him with the football.
Rodgers has a reputation for being very demanding of his targets, but that is a part of what has made him so great. He is often criticized for it, but as a quarterback, it is sort of part of his job. He needs to be sure everyone on the field is on the same page, and that includes him and his wide receivers.
Alysa Rubin / Steelers.com
Wide receiver Germie Bernard participates in team rookie minicamp at the Steelers' facilities in May of 2026.
Steelers Need To Be Sure That Germie Bernard Is In Good Graces With Aaron Rodgers
One risky part of drafting a wide receiver early in the 2026 NFL Draft is that he is going to have to start his career with Rodgers. If things go similarly to how they went with Wilson in 2025, Bernard's confidence could be shot before he even gets into his second season. The coaching staff needs to be sure that Bernard is progressing well and gets his timing with Rodgers down, that way he can see the field. Nothing but good things have been said about Bernard coming out of the offseason program, so that is a good sign for fans in Pittsburgh.
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