It’s been a camp-long competition that neither combatant seems to be winning.

So, have Pittsburgh Steelers coaches decided to explore a Plan C in lieu of deploying Devin Bush or Robert Spillane at inside linebacker?

Monday’s practice suggests they might be.

The Steelers opened their seven shots 2-point conversion simulation with three safeties on the field. That rarely, if ever, happened during the previous three weeks of camp. Then, to end practice, the defense was in dime (six defensive backs) with only one inside linebacker (Myles Jack) even on first down in a 2-minute drill simulation.

“When we have six DBs who can cover really well, it’s always an advantage to go against teams that have three, four, five good receivers on the field,” said cornerback Levi Wallace, who spent his first four NFL seasons with a Buffalo Bills defense that did not typically deploy a dime package.

“I am glad we do work dime here, but we had a good linebacking coverage group in Buffalo. So it’s different for me (with the Steelers), but I enjoy it. I enjoy going in and switching out the DBs; sometimes you’ve got (cornerbacks) playing safeties — I tell them I want to get a safety rep, too, one of these days. So it’s fun, for sure.”

During Saturday’s preseason win against the Seattle Seahawks, neither Bush nor Spillane distinguished himself in the 15 and 20 defensive snaps, respectively, each played. According to Pro Football Focus, Seahawks quarterbacks throwing to a man whom Spillane was responsible for in coverage went 3 for 3 for 39 yards (38 after the catch) and two first downs.

Seattle also went 3 for 3 throwing to receivers when Buddy Johnson was in coverage and 2 for 2 to Mark Robinson’s man, meaning Steelers inside linebackers allowed eight completions on eight attempts for 82 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought they could be a lot better,” coach Mike Tomlin said Monday of his inside linebackers’ performance in coverage Saturday, “and that will be my expectation this week.”

Bush, per PFF, did not have a pass thrown to him in coverage. He did, however, grade as the second-worst run defender of the 63 players analyzed in the game for either team.

Spillane graded 41st among 44 graded in pass coverage during Saturday’s game. He was the Steelers’ worst player in coverage, per PFF. Bush graded as their worst in run defense.

It was enough that Tomlin was asked if either, both (or perhaps, neither?) could or would have a role in the defense this season.

“I would imagine that both guys are varsity in their abilities, so that there’s going to be a role for them,” Tomlin said. “But make no mistake, there’s a competition component to what’s transpiring here in terms of dividing the labor up for sure.”

Part of that division might be to cut out both of those two and instead turn to Damontae Kazee or Tre Norwood. Kazee was the third safety on the field (along with starters Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds) at some points during practice. Norwood was the sixth defensive back when they went dime late.

According to footballoutsiders.com, the Steelers last season used a dime defense on 17% of their defensive snaps. That ranked 13th in the NFL.

With four capable safeties and four cornerbacks Steelers coaches view as able to play (Cameron Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon, Wallace and Arthur Maulet), coordinator Teryl Austin might prefer turning to six among that group in lieu of keeping two inside linebackers on the field.

“I think defense (in general) is just good communication, and if you don’t have it something is going to go wrong,” Wallace said. “This is the NFL, quarterbacks will find (the mistake), and that’s what we try to focus on, especially in third down packages. Communication is definitely essential.”

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