This was never going to be a break-in but there was an attempt by Daniel Jones to find his way inside Ford Field sometime last Friday to get some work in with his marquee receivers, knowing he and that group were not going to play later that night in the Giants’ preseason opener.

 As it turned out, there was no early access available to Jones.

“We didn’t actually get in or be able to get over there,’’ Jones said. “We were just trying to make sure we had an opportunity to get what we needed to get done, done.’’

Done and done. Jones and main targets went through an extensive workout prior to the 21-16 loss to the Lions. It is always about the work for Jones, before he signed a four-year contract worth $160 million and since becoming a wealthier 26-year-old quarterback.

For preseason game No. 2, Jones and the top receivers are expected to start the game and get several snaps Friday night against the Panthers at MetLife Stadium. This is likely the only cameo Jones will make this summer before the real thing, Sept. 10 against the Cowboys in the regular season opener.

There is no doubt this has been the best of the five NFL training camps for Jones, in terms of his consistency, marksmanship and command of the huddle. His increased comfort makes sense, as this he is in the second year of the Brian Daboll/Mike Kafka offense and that familiarity is paramount for Jones to take the next step in his development.

Jones is noticeably more willing and able to improvise and attempt off-platform throws. This was an assignment given to him heading out of his successful 2022 season. He attacked the task with his customary diligence.

Jones received a $36 million signing bonus in the first week in March.

But that did not alter his plan to work at QB Country in Mobile, Ala., with extra attention paid to improve his footwork in the pocket and his awareness and ability to make throws one way while drifting another way, mimicking pressure situations that arise in games.

“And then when we came back that was an emphasis, again, how can we put him in random situations in the drill work?’’ Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney said. “Because you never know when they’re gonna come up in a game or a practice.’’

Jones said this is always part of his offseason self-improvement agenda but admitted, “Yeah, maybe a couple more opportunities to do it and a couple newer drills I’ve tried to incorporate.’’

In his four years with the Giants, Jones has proven to be more athletic than he was given credit for when he arrived as the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. His long strides and surprising speed make him a legitimate threat with his legs. His arm is strong and his cognitive skills are reaching heightened levels.  The goal this summer was to continue to put it all together to create a more intuitive player capable of utilizing every aspect of his physical ability.

“We’re not emphasizing necessarily getting out of the pocket and making plays but when it’s there and you feel it you’ve got to have kind of a natural feel,’’ Tierney said. “When you have that natural feel it just becomes let your instincts take over and go.’’

Tierney disputed that Jones is not a natural improviser but he did acknowledge that there are times when Jones sticks to the script, perhaps to a fault.

“I wouldn’t say it had to be taught to him,’’ Tierney said. “I would say just putting it in his thought process is more so the right thing. Sometimes when you’re told ‘Here’s the read, go through it like this’ that’s kind of where you focus on. But if you can kind of bake into the thought process, ‘This is what we’re trying to get accomplished, but we can’t predict what the defense is gonna do, we’re calling the play based on what we think they do, if we don’t get it what’s your answer to get to?’’’

This was put in motion on the second day of the joint practices with the Lions in Allen Park, Mich. The Giants were in the tight red zone and the play-call was designed in anticipation of the defense in man coverage. Jones saw the Lions were in zone, an alert that he was going to have to use his legs moving out of the pocket in some capacity. He pivoted to his right and fired a pass across his body, locating Darius Slayton on the opposite side of the field with a fastball that was caught at the highest point for a touchdown.

“That’s a great example of we didn’t get what we wanted,’’ Tierney said. “I hate using the term ‘You got to go make a play’ but he’s got to problem-solve down there for us. He is becoming a really good problem solver in this offense.’’