One of the top storylines of the summer with the Pittsburgh Steelers was the improvement the organization made at wide receiver. The team will get its first opportunity to show those strides in Week 1 versus the Atlanta Falcons.
The big question in that position group, though, is how much the Steelers will trust second-round rookie Germie Bernard.
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t spill the beans on how much Bernard might play. But he gave a positive review of the rookie Thursday, which included a list of roles the rookie wideout could fill Sunday.
“Germie is doing good. He’s a natural route-runner, tough kid,” said McCarthy. “I like what he’s done on special teams.
“He gives us the flexibility we’re looking for, as far as, he can play both inside and outside.”
Bernard will make his NFL debut Sunday, September 13. The Steelers will host the Falcons at 1 pm ET at Acrisure Stadium.
Germie Bernard Offers Steelers Versatility
While not revealing too much, McCarthy’s remark was potentially telling for a couple reasons.
First, the Steelers might not just use Bernard in a WR3 slot role. Much of the discussion around the rookie has been about him or Roman Wilson playing in the slot as a third receiving option. But clearly, McCarthy and the Steelers love Bernard because he can play both in the slot and outside.
That’s what the rookie did in the preseason, so he already has a little taste of that at the NFL level. During the exhibition campaign, Bernard played 44 snaps outside and 36 in the slot.
But perhaps the most telling, or interesting, part of McCarthy’s remark on Bernard on Thursday was the coach mentioning special teams. Bernard didn’t receive any special teams snaps during the preseason. How he might contribute to that unit is, therefore, a mystery, but an intriguing one with Week 1 looming.
Bernard returned kickoffs and punts early in his college career. The past two seasons at Alabama, though, he didn’t have a single return.
Steelers Wide Receiver Depth Entering Week 1
The Steelers have their deepest receiver group in years. But how it’s all going to come together in McCarthy’s new system will be something to watch in Week 1.
D.K. Metcalf is returning as the team’s top outside playmaker. The Steelers added Michael Pittman Jr. to start opposite him, but Pittman dealt with an injury throughout the preseason.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has hyped Wilson a lot this summer. Wilson, though, has to show in an actual game that he will be a lot better this fall than he was in his first two seasons.
With Bernard, the Steelers also have rookie Kaden Wetjen along with special teams ace Ben Skowronek. Pundits expect the Steelers to feature Wetjen as a returner and not use him as a receiver very often.
The Steelers also have three wideouts on their practice squad — Brandon Smith, Brandon Johnson and Max Hurleman.
Interestingly, McCarthy’s answer on Bernard on Thursday was about the exact opposite response he gave on the wideout Monday. To reporters on Labor Day, the head coach didn’t share any details while on Thursday, McCarthy gave a vast array of generic roles Bernard could fill.
“We’ll wait until Sunday. I think you can understand that. I’m not here to give you lineups and things like that,” McCarthy said to a question on Bernard’s role. “We have one opportunity to line up and play as a new team. Both schematically, line up personal groups and how we’ll do that.
“We’ll take advantage of this being Week 1.”
Mike McCarthy Offers Telling Take on Rookie WR Before NFL Debut