The Pittsburgh Steelers have an infectious rookie, and his name is Germie Bernard (see what I did there?). Since wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson went down with injuries and ultimately landed on IR, the Steelers’ second-round pick has been spectacular.

So much so that Offensive Rookie of the Year chances are now well within grasp.

After recording just seven receptions for 39 yards over his first four NFL games, Bernard has exploded over the Steelers’ latest two contests. The rookie reeled in six of nine targets for 80 yards against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 before his career day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, which included 11 receptions on 12 targets for 87 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Suddenly, Bernard catapulted his odds of winning the OROY award entering Week 7.

Germie Bernard’s OROY odds are climbing as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for their Week 7 game against the Saints

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Bernard now has +800 odds to win the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. This ranks fourth among all players and trails only Titans receiver Carnell Tate (+220), Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love (+350), and Browns receiver Denzel Boston (+400).

Collectively, Boston might be the most impressive of the group, but he’s coming off a dud performance in Week 6 against the Ravens, with just one reception on five targets for 15 yards. Meanwhile, Love missed the Cardinals’ Week 6 contest against the Rams due to an injury, which helped Bernard gain a bit more ground.

Bernard currently holds fourth-place odds by a wide margin. Behind him in the running, his biggest competition is Browns receiver KC Concepcion (+2000), Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (+2000), and Commanders receiver Antonio Williams (+2000).

But one thing is clear: if Bernard can keep up the pace he’s been on over the past two games, he will have a chance to run away with this award.

Since Week 5, Bernard has caught 17 of 21 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. With Wilson and Pittman still set to miss multiple weeks, Bernard could keep the Steelers’ WR2 job and never look back. In fact, there’s a case to be made that Bernard already deserves to lead the team in targets each week.

Bernard also has something on his side that Tate and Love do not—he’s on a football team that could finish with a winning record.

As the Titans and Cardinals are hardly in the spotlight and are both expected to be among the worst teams the rest of the way, Bernard will have a chance to show up in primetime games as he looks to help the offense reach a playoff berth. This could go a long way with AP voters.

Currently, the Browns are also 4-2, which bodes well for Denzel Boston. However, his team’s success is not guaranteed to last, and the Browns are still projected to finish last in the AFC North by the end of the season.

Bernard’s next objective is to exploit a suspect New Orleans Saints defense in Paris this week. The Saints rank 23rd in dropback EPA per play allowed (0.129) and 28th in dropback success rate (50.8%), per RBSDM Stats.

The most important thing is for Bernard to keep producing and being a focal point of the Steelers’ passing game. If the 22-year-old receiver keeps trending as he has been, there’s an excellent shot that he can end up with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award after the 2026 season.

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