Daniel Jones used the first few plays of the Giants’ first home exhibition game to briefly debut his connection with a new teammate.

The opening 6-yard pass to Darren Waller was enough to get the crowd at MetLife excited, and Jones kept it going with a subsequent 12-yard completion on a third-and-7 play to keep the Giants’ first drive alive against the Carolina Panthers on Friday.

The Giants sent a 2023 third-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Waller in what was New York’s biggest acquisition this offseason. That carries both a figurative and literal meaning – at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, the tight end is also one of the Giants’ largest players.

“I mean, he’s a big target,” Jones said after the 21-19 win. “He runs good routes, creates separation, he’s an easy guy to find. So, yeah, he’s a talented player, smart guy, understands defense, understands where we’re trying to use him and how to get open.”

Friday, Jones completed 8 of 9 passes for 69 yards – 30 of which came on three passes to Waller. They only played for that one series, but it was marked by that building chemistry, and Waller has demonstrated since OTA’s that he can be a big addition for Jones.

“They already have that nice chemistry,” tackle Evan Neal said. “They built that in practice. They mesh well together, so I’m just excited to continue to watch those guys.”

According to Waller, that connection gets built through lots of reps.

“And then throwing sessions that nobody else was at except us and a couple of receivers,” he said. “Just continuing to get reps in, knowing where each other is – the timing we want. Where we expect each other to be, where I expect the ball to be, where he expects me to be when he releases something, so just a lot of time on task.”

Could Friday night’s opening drive be foreshadowing the key to a second consecutive playoff berth for the Giants? Perhaps this limited showing of Jones and Waller is indicative of an eventual dynamic duo, but that can only happen if both halves of it stay healthy.

Waller played just nine games last season while dealing with a hamstring injury and in 2021, he dealt with knee and ankle injuries and was limited to 11 games. If Waller proves he can stay healthy, he’ll once again be a candidate for comeback player of the year, a category he finished third in voting for in 2019.

The 30-year-old has talent which he put on display in 2019 and 2020, catching a combined 197 passes for 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s the offensive boost the Giants could use in a difficult NFC East division.

“He’s awesome,” said wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins. “He’s a freak, man. All around just a great dude to learn from and be around, pick his brain. He’s an amazing talent on the field so he’s going to help us out a lot this year.”

Waller became the highest paid tight end in the league when Las Vegas signed him to a three-year, $51 million deal before the 2022 season, and he was sent to the Giants in March. And the offense is feeling the positive effects of that addition both on and off the field.

“He’s one of the most talented, if not the most talented tight end in the NFL,” receiver Darius Slayton said. “And then as a guy, you know, he’s just good energy, good spirits, a great addition to our team.”

The Giants’ offense also welcomed slot receiver Parris Campbell this offseason, and he says it’s been easy joining his new team alongside Waller.

“I’m being myself, Wall’s being himself, and everybody just meshes together,” Campbell said. “It’s funny, we were actually just talking on the sideline, it’s almost like we’ve known each other for a while.”

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