The Pittsburgh Steelers completed Day 3 of the 2026 training camp. Mike McCarthy is starting to really get his fingerprint on his new collective and his goal is toward upgrading the offense. Throughout his entire career, he has been able to run a top offense, and, after years of mediocrity from that side of the ball for the Steelers, McCarthy is looking to turn the page for the organization.
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Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy looks off into the distance as he pays close attention during the team's 2026 rookie minicamp taking place in Pittsburgh, PA.
One area that the staff targeted to improve on the offense was the wide receiving corps. DK Metcalf didn't have the season most were expecting, so deepening the unit may help open him up more.
Doing so may be able to take some pressure off him, along with preventing the defense from double-teaming him. Nonetheless, it opens up the offense more just by having guys like Michael Pittman Jr. and newly drafted Germie Bernard on the field. If teams decide to still double Metcalf, then these two could have very big seasons, to go along with an opened up run game.
It sounds like that will be the top three receivers to open up the season as Bernard was seen taking first team reps at practice today. He was taken with a high draft pick, so there are high expectations entering 2026 regarding him. Steelers insider Nick Farabaugh reported this update regarding Bernard, along with another key update about another receiver fighting for snaps.
"As Mike McCarthy said, Roman Wilson is taking most of his snaps on the outside today," Farabaugh stated. "A lot of reps with the 2s with some peppering in with the 1s. Germie Bernard took a lot of the snaps with the 1s."
With Bernard taking a lot of snaps with the first team, that's a very important note for the rookie. Other reports indicated he had been taking snaps from the slot, which might very well be his role this season. Metcalf and Pittman on the outside with Bernard inside could make a ton of sense.
That could be a very strong receiver corps for Aaron Rodgers to work with in his final year in the NFL. In the past, it's taken a little bit of time for the Steelers to really throw out their young players. That is another interesting new part of this coaching staff that could ultimately help Pittsburgh in the long run, especially if Bernard contributes early.
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Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (10) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Bernard taking reps with the first team also signals something else that Farabaugh added. Roman Wilson will likely be the fourth receiver and not get very much playing time. That might take some time to develop because the rookie will have to earn his stripes, but it's certainly intriguing.
A few other Steelers were hyping up Wilson, saying that he was taking steps forward and might be one of the guys this year, but with the emergence of Bernard, he may not get his chance. McCarthy was impressed with how Wilson was performing on the inside, so he still has a chance to split reps with Bernard, but he was on the outside on Friday.
Steelers Keeping Close Eye On The Battle Between Bernard And Wilson
As Wilson gets ready for his third year in the league, he's running out of chances to make a strong impression to get on the field. Bernard becoming that third guy may be what's best for the team, but that's going to hurt Wilson's chances at another contract when his rookie deal expires. This needed to be the year for him to become that guy, but it's trending in a direction he didn't want to go down.
It's still very early in camp, so Wilson has a chance to win that third spot still, but it's clear how the organization is leaning at this stage of training camp. Perhaps both can play significant roles in 2026 as the two young guys to pair with two big named veterans.
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