The Pittsburgh Steelers may have found a rookie who is starting to look a lot bigger than just a midseason hot streak. Germie Bernard, the team’s rookie second-round pick, has delivered back-to-back impact games and suddenly has his name in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
With the Steelers dealing with mounting injuries on offense, Bernard has stepped into the spotlight and made the most of it. Over the last two games, he has been Pittsburgh’s most productive receiver, piling up 17 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown as the team pushed to consecutive wins.
That surge has carried him to 227 receiving yards through six games, which puts him third among all NFL rookies. Only Cleveland Browns pass-catcher Denzel Boston and Tennessee Titans first-round pick Carnell Tate have more.
The case for Bernard goes beyond the raw numbers, though. His confidence has stood out from the moment he arrived in Pittsburgh, and Aaron Rodgers has been challenging him every step of the way in the locker room and meetings. Rodgers has tested him with pop quizzes at the facility and pushed him not to repeat mistakes, and Bernard has handled it well enough to earn the quarterback’s praise.
“There comes a time when the confidence starts to match the potential, and I think we're reaching that time with Germie,” Rodgers recently said about his rookie wideout. “Very proud of him.”
Bernard has explained where that self-belief comes from.
“My confidence comes from my relationship with God, so I hold confidence within myself,” Bernard said earlier this season. “I have a high expectation of myself, so I know that I can go out there and make plays and know I wouldn't be here for no reason.
That's where my confidence comes from. It doesn't come from making plays or anything like that.
It comes internally.”
If Bernard is going to keep climbing the rookie leaderboard, the quarterback situation around him makes the difference. He has a major advantage there compared with the players ahead of him.
Tate’s numbers have been boosted by volume, but the Tennessee situation is shaky. The Titans are 1-5 and sitting in the basement of the AFC South, while second-year quarterback Cam Ward is still trying to find his footing.
Tate’s best outing came in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, when he went for 145 receiving yards on nine catches. Outside of that game, his next-best performance has been 70 yards in Week 6, which leaves plenty of volatility in the mix.
Boston faces his own question marks. The Browns are 4-2, but their record has come largely in spite of Deshaun Watson.
He has completed less than 64% of his passes, has thrown for more than 250 yards only once, and has seven touchdowns against two interceptions. That leaves Boston without the kind of stable weekly environment Bernard is getting in Pittsburgh.
Rodgers gives Bernard something the others may not have: a proven quarterback and a growing connection that already showed up in Weeks 5 and 6. If that keeps rolling, Bernard has a real chance to finish near the top of the rookie board and push toward 1,000 yards by season’s end.
If that happens, he’d become just the fourth player in Steelers history to win the award.
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