DETROIT, Mich — Daniel Jones stood on the sideline for the entirety of the Giants’ 21-16 preseason-opening loss to the Lions. As did Saquon Barkley, Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas and the vast majority of the Giants' starters.

It was the right call. These exhibition games, for them, are pointless. The risk far outweighs the reward to have them step foot on Ford Field and do anything more than warm up and go through their pre-game routine.

Those behind them, though? This means quite a bit.

It’s imperative the Giants get progress from their depth pieces.

If Friday night was any indication: They’re not ready if needed. And they will almost certainly be needed at some point.

The Giants aren’t a perfect team. They’re not expected to be. The damage Dave Gettleman did during his tenure as general manager always required more than two offseasons to fix. Joe Schoen deserves praise for positioning the Giants where they are now. If there’s one glaring concern, though, it’s what happens if the injury bug takes to Brian Daboll’s roster.

The Giants starters are good if grading kindly, but even their harshest critics can see they’re above average at the minimum. Sure, positions can be improved. No, they aren’t the Cowboys or Eagles, but they have a quarterback they can win with in Jones. He has, for the first time in his career, weapons outside of just Barkley (Darren Waller, Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt). There are concerns with Wink Martindale’s secondary, but he has pass rushers (Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari) and a line (Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams) capable of pressuring the quarterback to alleviate some of those issues.

The real issues arise if those proven commodities go down. Injuries in the NFL are inevitable. The Giants must have players ready to step up.

Friday night was a good one for those the Giants expect to rely on this year in starting roles. Safety Jason Pinnock intercepted a pass on the first play of the game. He finished with two pass breakups, a tackle for loss and that pick, all but solidifying his spot as the starter opposite Xavier McKinney. Rookie center John Michael Schmitz played well, too. As did rookie corner Deonte Banks and wideout Cole Beasley (four catches, 33 yards).

But it’s not about them. The Giants' starters aren’t threatening to derail this season.

It’s what happens if something happens to those starters.

Schoen’s undertaking when he replaced Gettleman was about more than just restocking a cupboard vacant of any real difference makers. The best teams in the NFL are more than just those whose names are on jerseys in the stands. It’s as much about those behind them who are capable of coming in and keeping things steady.

The Giants allowed a 95-yard punt return to Maurice Alexander. The play began with just 10 on the field, but also included a Jamie Gillan over-kick and multiple poor angles and missed tackles. Korey Cunningham couldn’t stop Romeo Okwara (three sacks) on his way to the quarterback. Imagine if he had to step in for Thomas and try to stop Micah Parsons? The secondary wasn’t good. The backup pass rushers (absent Tomon Fox) created little pressure. The wideouts created little separation.

In a perfect world, none of this matters. The Giants stay healthy, build on last year’s promising season, close the gap between the Eagles and Cowboys, and take that next step as a team. Seldom is an NFL season perfect, though. Every team endures injuries. The best withstand them.

Right now, you don’t feel confident in the Giants' ability to do that.

The good news: They have three more weeks to change that.

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