In the two months since the Pittsburgh Steelers released Mark Barron, the organization has done little in the way of adding candidates to replace him at inside linebacker.

The position was ignored in free agency and in the recruitment of former XFL players. It wasn’t addressed in the NFL Draft, either, although two inside linebackers were among 10 undrafted free agents signed by the Steelers.

Don’t expect the situation to change anytime soon. At least not before the Steelers begin training camp, whenever and wherever that might be.

General manager Kevin Colbert is prepared to go with the status quo, supplementing 2019 Steelers Rookie of the Year Devin Bush and veteran situational player Vince Williams with a collection of players lacking in NFL experience.

Barron filled a hybrid role, serving as a linebacker/safety, and the candidates to fill his job include:

• Former fifth-round draft pick Marcus Allen, who has played 18 defensive snaps in two NFL seasons, all in 2018.

• Sixth-round draft pick Antoine Brooks, who weighs 220 pounds and played the hybrid role at Maryland.

• Former sixth-round pick Ulysees Gilbert, whose rookie season was cut short by injury after he contributed on special teams.

• Robert Spillane, who didn’t join the active roster last year until Nov. 5 and logged one snap on defense. He seems more suited to replace core special teams player Tyler Matakevich.

• Undrafted free agents John Houston of USC and Leo Lewis of Mississippi State.

“With that group, it will be a different comfort level,” Colbert said Wednesday in an interview with 105.9 FM.

Colbert, however, is counting on Bush and Williams doing the bulk of the work at inside linebacker. Bush led the Steelers with 109 tackles and had one sack, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and four fumble recoveries. He played 82% of the defensive snaps.

With Barron playing nearly 70% of the defensive snaps, Williams was reduced to taking 36.5% of the snaps, nearly half his workload in the 2017 and ‘18 seasons. Williams finished with 54 tackles.

“With Devin moving into a second year, the stuff he was learning on the fly last year, he’ll start out at a different level this year,” Colbert told the radio station. “We’re hopeful that there is a different level of play. Vince Williams always has been a steadying force with that group.

“I think we have to see what we have in the depth of those guys and see how it plays out.”

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Barron was drafted as a strong safety by Tampa Bay in 2012. He was moved to inside linebacker in the middle of the 2014 season after he was traded to the St. Louis Rams.

“We have that tweener type of player, which Mark really was,” Colbert said. “He was an oversized safety, undersized linebacker.”

The Steelers drafted Brooks in the sixth round this year because of his ability to play in such situations in the Big Ten.

“Quite honestly, Antoine Brooks has those same type of abilities — albeit more safety size — but he played in the box and did a lot of stuff against the run,” Colbert said. “Could he be a package player? Sure.”

At 6-0, 230, Gilbert is the closest linebacker in size to Barron on the roster, but he finished last season on injured reserve. Allen, entering his third season, is the lightest of the bunch, carrying 215 pounds on his 6-2 frame.

“Marcus Allen has done some of that in a practice setting and a preseason setting,” Colbert said. “He’ll get that opportunity to prove maybe he can do it.”

Strong safety Terrell Edmunds could be an option when the Steelers begin experimenting with their subpackage groupings in training camp.

“We know he’s capable of being in that mix,” Colbert said. “We’ll see what it looks like on the back end if we do some different things with him. NFL football is really a package game right now. It’s more systematic and more substitutional now than it ever has been on both sides of the ball.

“When you have versatile people on either side, it really enhances what you might be able to do.”

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