Germie Bernard Camp Update — August 23: One Target, Zero Catches
2026 NFL Season · Sunday, Aug 23
A week after his three-catch debut, Germie Bernard was targeted once against the Jets and caught nothing, in a receiver group that graded out at a D. Roman Wilson, his direct competition, caught two balls but was targeted on both of Will Howard's interceptions. The third-receiver battle got messier, not clearer.
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Germie Bernard was targeted once Friday night and caught nothing. That line comes from Josh Carney's positional grades at Steelers Depot after Pittsburgh's 17-to-nothing loss to the Jets, in which Carney gave the entire wide receiver group a D for a night of drops and stalled drives. A week after Bernard's three-catch, 44-yard debut against Green Bay, the second preseason game gave him almost no evidence to add — and the quarterbacks throwing to him, Will Howard and Drew Allar, combined for a shutout.
The context around him is where the week's real information sits. Roman Wilson — the incumbent Bernard is fighting for the third receiver job — caught two passes for 16 yards but was the targeted receiver on both of Howard's interceptions, per Carney, with Alex Kozora at Steelers Depot charting the first pick as Howard staring Wilson down. Ben Skowronek, three catches for 26 yards, was the group's most reliable target on the night, per Kozora. Nobody won anything Friday; the battle June told us to watch simply did not get scored. Meanwhile DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Junior still have not practiced, though both are now expected to be available for the September thirteenth opener, per Paolo Songco at Athlon Sports — meaning the first-team reps Bernard has been absorbing in their absence remain his for at least another week.
Back in June we said the boring thing about this second-round rookie on purpose: rookie third receivers are lineup noise until targets say otherwise. Last week the targets started arriving; this week they mostly didn't. Both weeks are real, and the honest average is a rookie whose opportunity is genuine and whose production is one game old.
The checkable things this week: his usage Thursday in the finale at Buffalo — the last audition before rosters cut to 53 on Sunday, August thirtieth — and any beat charting that scores the Bernard-versus-Wilson battle directly. We'll check after cut day.
_Data via nflverse._
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