Will Roman Wilson Hold Off Germie Bernard For WR No. 3 To Start Season?

Will Roman Wilson hold off Germie Bernard for the No. 3 WR role to start the season?

The Steelers are excited about Germie Bernard and his future, but will he start over Roman Wilson from the jump? Both are former Day 2 draft picks, though Wilson has two NFL seasons under his belt. Of course, his career up to this point hasn’t exactly distinguished him as a top player.

But there is something to be said for experience, and Wilson obviously has more of that than Bernard. He has caught some touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers already, which certainly doesn’t hurt. And it’s also worth reminding that this is for a third receiver role, as the team already has DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.

Also, this is simply about who will be the third receiver on opening day. I imagine most take for granted that Germie Bernard will be the third receiver by the end of the year, but could Roman Wilson hold that role for some portion of the year until the rookie is ready?

There are, of course, two important factors working against that theory. The prevailing opinion seems to be that Aaron Rodgers discouraged the Steelers from playing Wilson more a year ago, favoring experienced veterans he trusted. In contrast, Bernard’s new teammates are talking about him as if he were wise beyond his years. Even though Bernard is the younger player, might Rodgers be more comfortable with his grasp of the offense?

Obviously, that’s what the offseason is for: to figure out those questions. Right now, we’re just moving into the second week of OTAs, and frankly, we have hardly any insight into it. In contrast to Mike Tomlin’s tenure, reporters have had limited access to practice thus far. And that appears to be abnormal, not just compared to Tomlin but to the rest of the NFL.

My assumption is that the No. 3 WR job is Germie Bernard’s to win. If he looks the part, it will be his almost regardless of what Roman Wilson does. Unless, of course, he suddenly turns into an All-Pro player whom you can’t keep off the field. But I’ll take my chances against that happening.

The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks. With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.

We’re already deep into the offseason, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team that loses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.