There’s a lot of reasons to be excited about the potential of second-round rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to have a sizable role in Week 1 versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
That’s what head coach Mike McCarthy suggested with one of his non-answers to reporters on Labor Day. When asked whether Bernard would be the team’s WR3 behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., McCarthy declined to offer much of a substantial response.
“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. “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.”
The Steelers will host the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium in Week 1. Kickoff will be at 1 pm ET on Sunday, September 13.
Will Rookie Germie Bernard be Steelers WR3?
Most pundits expect third-year receiver Roman Wilson to be Pittsburgh’s WR3. At the very least, Wilson should get the first opportunity to prove he can be that for the Steelers offense this fall.
Wilson has two more years of NFL experience than Bernard. Wilson has also spent more than a year with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Young receivers usually take time to develop chemistry with Rodgers, which has kept Bernard’s preseason expectations in check.
But Wilson’s up-and-down last few weeks appears to have left the door open for Bernard. At the very least, it’s open enough for the media to be asking questions about whether the rookie can be the team’s WR3.
McCarthy, though, made it very clear that performance and game flow will dictate the snaps.
More than likely, McCarthy does have a plan for whether Wilson or Bernard will open the campaign as the team’s WR3. But the head coach sees no advantage to giving one of the wideouts the title before Sunday.
Until then, both receivers will continue competing for the job. Furthermore, opponents will have to prepare for both receiver’s skillsets.
There are a lot of unknowns in the Steelers-Falcons matchup this weekend. Both teams feature first-year new head coaches. Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski could have an edge having beaten the Steelers in December with the Cleveland Browns. But his Falcons defense won’t feature Myles Garrett.
The Steelers offense could also look completely different under McCarthy this season.
In that Browns-Steelers December matchup, Wilson didn’t receive any targets. Meanwhile, Bernard was still in college at Alabama.
Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Shoots Down Question on Germie Bernard’s Week 1 Role