DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. push the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp wide receiver battle farther down the depth chart than fans are used to seeing in recent years. Camp intrigue now belongs to Germie Bernard, Roman Wilson, and several specialists who all have legit reasons to stick around.
Germie Bernard and Roman Wilson now get to compete for the next meaningful offensive role. Bernard arrives as a second-round pick with expectations, while Wilson finally has a clean chance to turn flashes into snaps.
Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen, Eli Heidenreich and A.T. Perry complicate the picture, but each in his own useful way. Blocking, return ability, versatility, and size all matter when coaches start building a game-day roster, which means this battle won’t be settled by counting catches.
Germie Bernard and Roman Wilson will make the Pittsburgh Steelers choose favorites
Bernard has the draft investment working in his favor, and early-round picks typically get every reasonable chance to play early. His path could include slot work, motion, and manufactured touches, especially if Pittsburgh wants to avoid making Metcalf and Pittman do everything from static outside alignments.
Wilson brings a different kind of pressure because patience eventually runs out in the NFL -- and he’s been shown plenty of it. A strong camp could put him in the weekly plan as the quick separator of the group, but another inconsistent summer would leave Bernard with a wide-open lane to the No. 3 job.
Skowronek keeps hanging around because coaches love receivers who block like they’ve taken the assignment personally. His offensive ceiling may be lower than Bernard’s or Wilson’s, yet his willingness to handle grunt work gives him a path onto the field that doesn’t require multiple targets.
Wetjen can force the conversation through the return game, while Heidenreich’s versatility could make him useful in multiple personnel packages. Perry’s 6’5 frame gives the staff another red-zone and boundary option.
It’s plain to see that the Steelers won’t have enough offensive snaps to keep every receiver involved once the season starts. They may have six receivers worth keeping and only four they can feature with any consistency -- not a bad problem to have considering recent seasons. Metcalf and Pittman will command most of the outside work, leaving Bernard, Wilson and the specialists to compete for scraps that suddenly look valuable.
Somebody from this group could play well throughout camp and still end up spending Week 1 in street clothes.
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