WESTFIELD – This year's star player training camp hold-ins don't involve the Colts, and it will likely remain that way.

One year after running back Jonathan Taylor waged battle against his franchise in order to force a contract extension, two star receivers seem eager to push similar buttons. Brandon Aiyuk showed up to 49ers training camp not in uniform, and CeeDee Lamb skipped the start of Cowboys training camp. Both are looking to cash in on a wide receiver market that Justin Jefferson reset with a four-year, $140 million deal this spring.

It's a market the Colts dipped their toe in with Michael Pittman Jr. by signing their No. 1 receiver to a three-year, $70 million deal. And on the heels of that and a second-round draft pick at the position, they seem to have no interest in chasing any more weapons for Anthony Richardson -- even if they are available.

"I do like our set of weapons," general manager Chris Ballard said. "I like AD Mitchell. I like (Alec) Pierce. You know my feelings on Pittman. And I think (Josh) Downs is really freaking good. I don't know that that got talked about enough last year. Downs did some good things last year and I think he's about to explode.

"I do believe we have enough weapons there."

Why the Colts are unlikely to trade for Aiyuk or Lamb

Add in a likely run-heavy offensive approach and the assets it would require to trade for Aiyuk or Lamb, and the Colts appear as one of the least likely teams to try to do so.

But where Ballard appeared bullish on the prospects of his offense around Richardson, he was merely open-minded on the passing setup he has on the other side of the ball.

That's where a move could actually, possibly, happen.

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Last year, the Colts set the Indianapolis record with 51 sacks, thanks to a healthy quartet of pass rushers. But their AFC South hopes slipped away in losses to the Bengals, Falcons and Texans when a secondary stressed by youth and injuries struggled to hold up with elite perimeter weapons and that same pass rush couldn't beat maximum protection schemes in order to compensate.

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The Colts addressed the lack of a game-sealing edge rusher by selecting the first defensive player in this year's draft, UCLA's Laiatu Latu, at No. 15 overall, as well as by hiring a new defensive line coach in Charlie Partridge. But they have made zero efforts to change anything about the secondary.

Yet.

"We like our young players," Ballard said. "I'm not saying we won't do something. We definitely could. But I want to see these young guys get after it and compete."

At every chance this offseason, Ballard and coach Shane Steichen have raved about the second-year outside cornerback duo of JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones, as well as the potential for Dallis Flowers to come back from the Achilles he tore early last season. Those three players combine for just 23 career starts, leaving room for volatility. But they have numbers and potential, and they'll be helped by a Pro Bowler in Kenny Moore II at the nickel spot.

But the conversation at safety has been rather different. The Colts have faith in Julian Blackmon at the strong safety spot after he led the team in interceptions and pass breakups last year. But he's missed 18 games in four seasons playing a high-collision role in a compact frame, which is why he had to settle for a one-year prove-it deal this offseason.

The depth behind Blackmon is nearly nonexistent. Last year's fifth-round pick, Daniel Scott, was lost for the season to an Achilles tear this spring. Ronnie Harrison Sr. can and has played strong safety, but it's just a part-time position for him along with linebacker.

The team's other safeties with defensive experience, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II, are locked in a battle for the starting free safety spot.

Ballard labeled that position as one of the battles he's watching closest this training camp, and he later said that a move could come in the secondary. Given the uncertainty the Colts have shown in benching Cross and Thomas the past two seasons, this all could be a trial run at an area of the team where the stakes are so high but the games don't begin for another five weeks.

Why the Colts could sign Simmons or Diggs

Two Pro Bowl safeties happen to still be on the free agent market.

Justin Simmons has been an All-Pro in four of the past five seasons for the Broncos and is still just 30 years old but was released as a cap casualty this spring. Quandre Diggs was released by the Seahawks after a down season, but the 31-year-old has reached three Pro Bowls and hasn't missed a game since 2019.

The two could be waiting out training camp to see if an injury or roster situation forces a hopeful contender's hand and suddenly invigorates a safety market that crumbled this spring.

Could the Colts become that contender?

Indianapolis has more than $25 million available in cap space for 2024. It would be more than enough to sign a safety at a position where Xavier McKinney from the Packers cashed in the one big pay-out this offseason with a four-year deal worth $16.8 million per season.

The Colts have plenty to pitch to Diggs or Simmons beyond the contract, too. They have a strong culture under Steichen with veteran leaders on both sides of the ball. They have the makings of an explosive offense with a healthy Richardson and Taylor, fresh off a 9-8 season where the two barely shared the field. And they have a defense built on continuity, with a potentially fierce pass rush, that could look at a big-time safety as the missing link.

A move this big this late would be out of character for Ballard and owner Jim Irsay, who rarely court outside free agents. Doing so would require a swift judgment on the growth of a young player like Cross, whom Ballard traded a future third-round pick to acquire during the 2022 draft.

But if there's one lever for the Colts to pull to double down on their confidence in this year's team, it's at free safety, where help is available and the cost is something they can stomach.

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why the Colts could and should consider signing Simmons or Diggs