Steelers' Germie Bernard Has Clear Expectations Placed On Him: "Might Not Take As Long As You Think"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had issues with the wide receiver position over the last several seasons. The room has consistently lacked talent and depth, and that was the case in 2025. DK Metcalf was the number one wideout in the room, but there were no real threats behind him. This made it easy for the defense to scheme him out of games and then the passing game was helpless most of the time. It was a clear goal of the front office to go out and improve the wide receiver group during the 2026 offseason, and that is exactly what happened.

The first move the Steelers made came right before free agency even began. The Indianapolis Colts were looking to dump Michael Pittman Jr.'s salary, and the Steelers came in to make a trade. Pittsburgh swapped some late-round selections for the veteran wide receiver, and it has been said that the organization got great value on the deal. After that, the Steelers turned their focus towards the 2026 NFL Draft. General Manager Omar Khan was eyeing a wide receiver in the first round, but that did not work. The franchise wound up trading up to land Germie Bernard in the second round of the event.

Beat writer Mark Kaboly recently spoke about the rookie wide receiver on an episode of his podcast, Kaboly + Mack. Kaboly outlined what he expects from the rookie.

"With Bernard, it might not take as long as you think," Kaboly said. "If he really gets on Aaron Rodgers' good side, he could be that guy right away. There's a lot of expectations for the guy. And I think he's wired to handle those expectations. I don't think the numbers are gonna be significant. As in, he's not gonna be pushing Anquan Boldin rookie-year numbers or anything like that. If he's a 30-something catch guy, for 400, 500 yards and a TD or two, some big catches, some third-down catches, that's all you need."

Kaboly mentioned that getting into a good relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers is going to be important, and that is obvious. Rodgers expects a lot from his wide receivers, and he needs to trust the guys he is throwing the ball to.

There has been a ton of hype surrounding Bernard, and rightfully so. The Steelers needed an exciting, young wide receiver, and he could be that guy for the offense. He is going to be in a position battle with Roman Wilson throughout training camp as they will each be competing for the third wide receiver spot on the depth chart. They can each play the slot and outside, so it should be an interesting storyline to keep an eye on.

Wilson is entering his third season, but he seemed to get off on the wrong foot with Rodgers in 2025. Wilson was productive at some points of the season, but he was seemingly benched later in the year for veteran wide receivers who were a shell of themselves. 

Steelers Are Going To Need Germie Bernard To Produce

Whether Bernard is the third or fourth wide receiver on the depth chart, Pittsburgh is going to need him to produce in 2026. He is a great football player when he has the ball in his hands, and the Steelers have struggled when it comes to yards after catch as of late. Bernard can help in this area, which is probably the main reason that Kaboly's prediction of 300 to 400 receiving yards for the rookie seems a little low.

The key to Bernard's success is going to be earning the trust of Rodgers, and that is something that will be worked on throughout training camp. Bernard versus Wilson is arguably going to be the most interesting battle throughout camp and the preseason.

What do you expect from Bernard in his rookie season? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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