Joe Schoen seemed to make it clear where the Giants stand regarding Daniel Jones:

“The expectation is when Daniel is healthy, he will be our starting quarterback,’’ the second-year general manager said on Monday.

An expectation is a strong belief about what will happen in the future.

It is not a guarantee.

As Schoen met with the media for the first time since the start of training camp, Jones was five days into his rehabilitation from surgery to repair the torn ACL in his right knee.

He might be ready for the opening of the 2024 season. He might not be.

With veteran backup Tyrod Taylor unsigned past this season, Jones and undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito — owner of a 2-1 record as the emergency starter — are the only two quarterbacks set to be on the roster in 2024.

A third will have to be added. But will it be a veteran brought as insurance for Jones’ knee and penchant for injury? Will it be a quarterback taken early in the draft?

The Giants currently own the No. 6 overall pick.

“I think we’re going to have to do something at quarterback, whether it’s free agency or the draft, just where we are,’’ Schoen said.

Of course, Schoen is not going to tip his hand as to what his strategy is going to be.

He and his scouting department have scouted the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft.

Even with the expectation that Jones, when healthy, will be the starter in 2024, that does not preclude the Giants from using their first-round pick on a quarterback.

“We’ll take the best player available,’’ Schoen said. “If the best player available for our team is at a certain position, we’ll take it. I mean, we won’t shy away from it.’’

Schoen and the Giants gave Jones a four-year contract worth $160 million this past offseason, and the first year of the deal could not have gone worse, for the player and the team.

Jones played poorly (two touchdown passes, six interceptions) behind a shaky offensive line.

He hurt his neck and missed three games.

He returned and tore his ACL.

Jones was 1-5 as a starter before he went down and out, and the Giants are 4-8 this season at their bye week.

The customary nine-month timetable for ACL injuries put a return for Jones in August.

Schoen mentioned that he saw Jones walk into the team facility holding, but not using, his crutches.

“He’s in there rehabbing right now,’’ Schoen said. “He’s gonna attack it. You guys all know Daniel and his work ethic, he’s probably a guy we’re going to have to pull back.’’

If the Giants don’t use a premium draft pick on a quarterback, it means that pick will be used to fortify a different position — and they have many areas of need on their roster.

It sounds more likely the projected plan is to bring in an experienced quarterback, along with DeVito, and wait and see if Jones will be ready for the start of next season.

“There’s no guarantee as of right now that Daniel will be ready Week 1 so that’s how you got to approach it,’’ Schoen said. “Who can we bring in that can maybe help us win a couple of games while Daniel gets healthy? Or maybe Daniel will be ready. There’s just some unknowns right now and we’ll know as we get closer to free agency where he is in his rehab and how we need to approach the offseason.’’

Schoen praised the way offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney brought along DeVito, who has a quarterback rating of 92.4.

“He’s taken care of the football the last couple of weeks, and he’s done a good job,’’ Schoen said. “He’s got some swagger and some presence about him that the players like and they follow him.’’

Schoen pointed to the three games in the first 11 days of the season and injuries to left tackle Andrew Thomas and running back Saquon Barkley as factoring into Jones’ poor start.

“Does Daniel wish he could have some throws back or some games back or do some things differently? Probably, but it’s a team game,’’ Schoen said. “There’s 11 guys out there and everybody’s got to be on the same page and do their job. So, we’ve got to continue to build the team. The quarterback position is important, but it’s ultimately a team game and it’s not all on Daniel by any means.’’

Asked why he continues to believe in Jones, Schoen recalled last season’s performance.

“I mean, I’ve seen it,’’ Schoen said. “The guy won 10 games. He won a road playoff game for the Giants. You guys saw the preseason. I just think we got punched in the nose early on and we dug ourselves a hole and we weren’t able to get out of it. We’re trying to right now, but we still believe in Daniel and the person.’’