Insider shares how some within Steelers feel about Justin Fields, Russell Wilson situation

Before quarterback Justin Fields helped the Pittsburgh Steelers improve to 4-2 on the season via Sunday's 32-13 win at the Las Vegas Raiders (2-4), multiple NFL insiders suggested that Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin " wants " to play veteran Russell Wilson over Fields beginning with this coming Sunday's home game against the New York Jets (2-3).

For a piece published early Monday morning, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated indicated that not everybody within the Steelers shares Tomlin's alleged desire.

"T omlin should end the quarterback competition and keep Justin Fields in there as the starter, " Breer wrote. " The truth is the Russell Wilson saga has dragged on long enough. Fields has had the support of that building for a long time. The baseline for Fields, most in Pittsburgh believe, is higher than it is for Wilson. There’s also a lot more upside with Fields. "

Against the Raiders, Fields passed for a paltry 145 yards with zero touchdowns to go along with 59 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. While he won four of six starts as Wilson continued to recover from a lingering calf injury, commentators such as Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review have repeatedly said they feel the numbers show " Fields' level of play isn’t good enough to beat good teams or to win playoff games. "

According to ESPN stats, Fields began Monday ranked 20th in the NFL among qualified players with a 53.7 adjusted QBR on the season. Per the StatMuse website, the 25-year-old is 16th in the league with a combined 1,337 passing and rushing yards.

Wilson was on track to serve as Pittsburgh's Week 1 starter before he reaggravated a previous calf issue. People such as Madden would argue Fields hasn't played well enough to keep a healthy Wilson sidelined, but Breer said that " a lot of people who work in [the Steelers' ] building, given some truth serum, would agree with me " that Fields should get the nod for at least the Jets game.

It was unclear as the Jets prepared to host the 3-2 Buffalo Bills on Monday night how Tomlin will handle his quarterback situation for the Week 7 matchup at Acrisure Stadium. If it's true that " a lot of people who work in that building " want Fields to continue playing, Tomlin may have to alter his reported plans to keep the locker room together as the Steelers pursue a playoff berth.