The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to select wide receiver Germie Bernard 47th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft is paying off. After failing to select Makai Lemon in the first round, Pittsburgh deferred to Bernard in the second, which so far looks like a blessing in disguise. Even as a rookie, the former Alabama playmaker is gaining the trust of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is notorious for his reluctance to use rookie wide receivers.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard (17) scores a touchdown in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Week 6.
Through six weeks, Bernard is putting a stranglehold on the wide receiver two (WR2) spot, thanks to injuries to Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek. Since taking over as the WR2, he's had back-to-back 80-yard games and scored the game-winning touchdown in their most recent win, which happened to be his first. The rookie has improved every week since being featured more on offense, but he made a crucial mistake against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On a fourth-down play, Rodgers hit Bernard for what would have been a first down, but the wide receiver tried to make a defender miss and wound up losing forward progress, leading to a turnover on downs. Bernard spoke about the chewing he received from his teammates, but that didn't stop him from having his best game of the season.
Recently, Jeff Hathhorn spoke on 93.7 The Fan, where he mentioned one of Bernard's best qualities is his focus. As a rookie, it's typical for a mistake as crucial as the one Bernard made to affect the rest of the game, but this was different. The very next time Bernard caught the ball, he instantly turned upfield for a first down, and he finished the game with 11 catches.
"And here's another thing that's good about Bernard: he made a mistake early in the game, but he didn't let that impact him," Hathhorn stated. "His head didn't go down, he stayed with his game, kept playing the right way and look at the game he had."
Bernard is a rookie, and there are more growing pains to come, but his ability to not be affected by mistakes he makes and to learn from them is priceless. He's consistently shown the composure of a veteran, and with the lack of depth at wide receiver, there's never been a better time for Bernard's best trait to come to light. The organization will learn what they really have in the rookie in the coming weeks as he begins to receive more attention from defenses.
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Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard attempts to break a tackle during a game against the Buccaneers in October 2026.
Now that Bernard is starting to produce at a high level, defenses will start to key in on him. A lot of his work is done at the line of scrimmage and over the middle of the field. When defenses start to shade coverage his way or get face-to-face in man coverage, how will the rookie respond? With the lack of pass catchers on offense, it would be wise to acquire a wide receiver to help out the depth, but not one that will overshadow Bernard.
Steelers Don't Need A Big-Time Addition At Wide Receiver
While plenty of names have been floated around on the trade market, the Steelers don't have much cap space to work with. On top of their cap limitations, the ascension of Bernard should cause them to lean on him even more and find a new third wide receiver. Perhaps a reunion like JuJu Smith-Schuster, or a trade for the likes of Jauan Jennings or Kayshon Boutte, could be very nice options for the missing spot.
None of the suggested players are stars currently, but they are productive veterans who don't need to see six-plus targets a game. They are cheap options that can help Rodgers in his farewell tour while the injured wide receivers work back from their injuries. While the Steelers are in need of wide receiver help, they should look for names that won't overshadow Bernard in the offense.
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