The Pittsburgh Steelers have a ton of fun headlines surrounding the team going into Week 6 of the 2026 regular season, but something a lot of fans are paying attention to is the younger players on the roster making an impact. Rookie Robert Spears-Jennings has stepped up at safety and on special teams, while Gabriel Rubio made his debut in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts and helped shut down one of the best running backs in the league. Max Iheanachor has also been impressive at right tackle through his first three starts, and Germie Bernard is starting to settle into his role on the offense.
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Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard during a regular season game against the Colts in October 2026.
The Steelers have needed help at wide receiver for quite some time, and the organization has been taking the trade route a lot recently when it comes to addressing the position. However, in the 2026 NFL Draft, General Manager Omar Khan decided to trade up in the second round of the event to draft Bernard. The trade was completed with the Colts, which is the team that Bernard really had his first good performance against. He finished the game on Sunday with six catches for 80 yards on nine targets. Up until that game he had just seven catches for 60 yards on the year.
Some fans were worried about pairing a rookie wide receiver with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, but things seem to be working so far between the two. Rodgers has spoken highly of Bernard whenever he has gotten the chance to, but there is no question that there is a ton of pressure being put on Bernard to perform. The rookie went on The Christian Kuntz Podcast on Thursday, and he spoke about how Rodgers prepares him each week.
"Just learning as much as I can, getting him to trust me," Bernard said. "He sees that I put in the work to prepare how I'm supposed to. He interrogates me every single week. Like literally, I swear it's like an interrogation. We go into the offensive meeting, he's like, 'Germ, you're up. Name the players on their defense, name the scheme on their defense, name these plays from the game plan.' But what I've learned from that is he wants us to be prepared and know what we're doing, what we're going to see. I appreciate it."
An interrogation with a future Hall of Fame quarterback like Rodgers sounds intense, but Bernard was sure to note that he was grateful for it. He knows it is making him a better player, and it is something he is thankful for.
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Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard runs after a catch in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season against the New England Patriots.
There were certainly high hopes for Bernard coming into his rookie season, but he has had to become a contributor much sooner than most expected. Michael Pittman Jr. is going to miss at least the next three games of the season, while Roman Wilson is also due to miss at least one game after getting hurt against the Colts. Bernard has stepped up in a big way and he was productive, but that is going to have to continue. He has made some rookie mistakes, but those are expected to occur.
Steelers Will Rely On Germie Bernard Heavily Once Again
The Steelers head into Week 6 with a 3-2 record, and it is going to be very important that the team can take down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. The Buccaneers are starting an undrafted rookie free agent at quarterback, so the defense has to step up and disrupt this contest. On the offensive side of the ball the Steelers will need another big game from Bernard. He put in a lot of work around the line of scrimmage in Week 5, and that should be expected once again. It would be nice to see him make some guys miss and pick up extra yards, which is something he was known for in college.
What do you think about these comments from the rookie? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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