The Steelers have spent the last two seasons getting dragged for their receiver room, and it’s not hard to see why. George Pickens and DK Metcalf gave Pittsburgh a real top option in each of those years, but everything behind them was thin enough to be a problem. Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Adam Thielen were all supposed to help carry the load, and the results never matched the names.
That’s why the additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard have turned heads. Pittman arrived in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, while Bernard came in as a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. And according to former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, Pittman is the offseason move that matters most for Pittsburgh’s offense.
“Michael Pittman is a solid 1B, 2A - however you want to look at it,” Haley said. “He’s experienced, he understands how to play. I’m sure he and Aaron will get on the same page very quickly… I think the addition of Pittman is the most important addition for the Steelers offense”
Haley also pointed to Bernard as the kind of player who could help Pittsburgh build something bigger if he develops fast enough. He said the rookie is “a key component,” but also stressed how tough it is for a young receiver to step in and handle NFL coverages right away.
“With Bernard, he’s a key component,” Haley said. “How quickly can he come along?
It’s hard as a young receiver to just show up and all of a sudden play against NFL coverages and defenses. So [their additions] are huge.
When you have just one [receiver], it’s nice, but defenses can take one away. But when you have two, and maybe three, that’s what we had the benefit of having in Arizona.
We not only had a great quarterback that understood where to put the football, and did it accurately, we had [the question] of who are you going to add extra coverage to? Larry Fitzgerald?
Anquan Boldin? And if you do that, Steve Breaston was obviously fast enough to hurt you pretty quickly.”
That Arizona group - Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston - is one of only five receiver trios in NFL history to each top 1,000 yards in a season, and they were the last to do it, back in 2008. Haley isn’t saying Pittsburgh has already reached that level, and it would be a stretch to expect that kind of production. But if Pittman and Bernard hit quickly, the Steelers could at least start to look like an offense with real answers instead of one defense can erase with a single adjustment.
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Rudolphs place in the group naturally invites a little reading between the lines, because the backup job is one of the more closely watched spots on the roster. The photos do not settle anything on their own, and the Steelers have made no official call, but the social snapshot is enough to keep the competition in view as camp approaches. [Read more 🡒]