Steelers' Receiver Crisis Has Germie Bernard Paying An Unseen Price

The Pittsburgh Steelers have found a promising young receiver in the middle of an injury crisis, which sounds like exactly the kind of discovery a team should celebrate. But there is a catch. As the rookie takes on more responsibility, one of his most useful skills may be getting pushed aside to cover a job nobody else can reliably handle. A Pittsburgh reporter believes that's becoming an expensive trade-off.

Steelers reporter Nick Farabaugh believes Pittsburgh needs another receiver who can consistently beat man coverage, and not because Germie Bernard lacks that ability. Farabaugh's concern is that injuries have forced the second-round rookie into a short-yardage, yards-after-catch role, limiting opportunities to use his route-running skills against individual defenders.

The shortage has been impossible to ignore. Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson are on injured reserve, while Ben Skowronek missed Sunday's 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints with a calf injury. Pittsburgh entered the game without three receivers expected to contribute. Somebody had to absorb the work they left behind.

During a recent discussion, Farabaugh explained why the solution involves adding help around Bernard rather than asking him to become yet another kind of receiver.

“I do think that they could use a wide receiver regardless. They need someone that can beat man coverage consistently. These teams are just manning them up and Germie Bernard can do it. But kind of what is going on right now with how they're using him and they're using him more as that YAC guy, that short-yardage guy because they don't really have anyone else that could fill the role. So it makes sense,” Farabaugh said.

Catching a quick throw and making a defender miss takes skill. Bernard has demonstrated it, particularly during Pittsburgh's comeback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught 11 passes for 87 yards and scored the overtime winner, a short reception finished with help from DK Metcalf blocking downfield. Pittsburgh needed somebody who could turn a designed completion into points. Bernard answered.

Success at that assignment doesn't prove it's the best use of his entire repertoire. Beating man coverage requires a receiver to threaten leverage, change pace, separate at the break and give the quarterback a dependable window. Screens and quick touches manufacture space without requiring him to win that particular battle first. When Bernard spends more snaps doing the latter, Pittsburgh learns less about what he can create on his own.

That creates a dilemma for Aaron Rodgers. The quarterback needs easy completions, especially when defenses concentrate on Metcalf. He also needs someone who can win an individual matchup when a coordinator plays tight man coverage and eliminates comfortable throws. Bernard might be one of his better answers, yet the shortage dictates how he's used.

The concern isn't that short-area throws are beneath Bernard. It's that the coaching staff is borrowing from one part of his skill set to patch a hole elsewhere. When the defense presses and the passing windows shrink, Pittsburgh needs more than a catch-and-run specialist. It needs routes that win before Rodgers releases the ball.

Sunday offered a snapshot without proving the arrangement caused every offensive struggle. Bernard caught three of five targets for 27 yards, one week after his 11-catch breakout. Metcalf managed two receptions on six targets, although one went for 51 yards. Pittsburgh won in Paris, but its passing game generated one touchdown and leaned heavily on running backs.

Rico Dowdle caught six passes for 45 yards, and Jaylen Warren added three catches for 36. Those outlets helped. They don't erase the need for another receiver. A checkdown against a linebacker is different from separating against a cornerback who knows the ball must come out on third down.

Pittsburgh also converted just one of four red-zone trips into a touchdown against the Saints. Once the field shrinks, defenders can squeeze underneath routes and crowd the catch point. A receiver who can shake man coverage at the break becomes particularly valuable there. Otherwise, Rodgers must manufacture separation with scheme or hope for a coverage mistake.

Head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio have reasonable explanations for the arrangement. Injuries accelerated Bernard's rise, leaving a rookie to learn multiple responsibilities while handling starter-level snaps. Asking him to run every difficult route and supply every easy touch would stretch any young player. The coaches must decide which assignments help him develop.

The Steelers signed veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad last week, but a familiar face isn't automatically the consistent man-coverage answer Farabaugh described. General Manager Omar Khan has until the November 10 trade deadline to explore an addition. No particular receiver is guaranteed to be available at a sensible price.

Steelers Should Stop Letting Injuries Define Bernard's Ceiling

Pittsburgh should give Bernard more chances to beat man coverage now, even before outside help arrives. The Steelers invested the 47th overall pick in a versatile receiver, and reducing him to an emergency short-pass specialist wastes an opportunity to learn how dangerous his full route tree can become. A team trying to win with Rodgers this season must know who can separate when easy completions disappear.

That doesn't mean abandoning screens or yards-after-catch opportunities. Those plays helped Bernard break out. But if opponents can anticipate his assignment, the rookie's versatility starts serving the defense more than Pittsburgh.

Farabaugh's proposed addition would do more than replace injured bodies. It could free Bernard to be the receiver Pittsburgh drafted while giving Rodgers another option against tight coverage. The rookie has already proved he can handle an emergency assignment. The next challenge is making sure the emergency doesn't become his entire job.

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