The time is now for Chris Herndon, and he knows it.

For the Jets’ second-year tight end — with his four-game suspension looming once the regular season begins (penance for his DUI in 2018) — Saturday night’s preseason game against the Saints at MetLife Stadium had more meaning than it did for most of his teammates.

“For me, right now with the suspension coming, I’m treating every day like it’s game day, trying to be as detailed as possible, making it as crisp as possible,’’ Herndon said before the game.

The third preseason game is traditionally teams’ dress rehearsal for the regular season, with the starters on both sides of the ball expected to play at least the first half and likely into the third quarter.

Herndon, whose playing time is about to be halted for a month, welcomes any and every play the coaching staff assigns him. That’s why he was so looking forward to Saturday night, calling it “real good to finally get a chance to experience multiple series’’ for the first time since last season.

Coach Adam Gase has taken an interesting tack with his utilization of Herndon this summer.

There were two ways Gase could have gone with it. He could have gotten the backup tight ends more action in practice and in games with the first team, because Herndon won’t be starting the season and the backups need to be ready for the first month without him. Or he could have kept Herndon with the first-team offense as if he were starting the opener in an effort to make sure he’s as ready as he can be once he’s eligible to play.

Gase correctly chose the latter of those two options, doing everything he can to hone Herndon’s skills and confidence so he can hit the field in Week 5 as if had played the first four games.

“That has helped me a lot, because I’m still very into practices and meetings and we’re treating it as if I am playing,’’ Herndon said. “Because the suspension is going to come and it’s going to go and when I come back it’s not going to be camp anymore, it’s going really count. I’m going to have to be ready for that.’’

Gase said, “We want Chris to focus as if he’s not going to be gone for those first few games.’’

Asked what he needs to see from Herndon to know he’s ready, Gase said, “We need to see him just keep progressing and keep learning the details of the offense. Do a good job catching it, get the run after the catch. That’s where he’s really a problem for a defense. He catches the ball and he gets in space he can do some damage.’’

Herndon caught 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns last season in 16 games, 12 of which he started. Given his size (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) and skill set, those look like modest numbers. Given how good he has looked in training camp, it appears he’ll get a lot more targets from Sam Darnold than the 56 he had last season.

Gase will have an interesting decision to make with the fourth preseason game, against the Eagles on Thursday night. Generally, the starters don’t play in that final preseason game, making way for the back-end-of-the-roster players fighting for spots on the team.

But with Herndon about to be on ice for a month, might Gase play him against the Eagles to get him a few more game reps before the suspension kicks in?

“I’m not there yet. I haven’t even thought about it,’’ Gase said.

“I’m going to do whatever they ask me to do,’’ Herndon said. “If they want me to play, I’ll play. Obviously, I’m not going to say no to playing.’’

Herndon said he isn’t yet sure what restrictions he faces during the suspension, but he certainly won’t be able to practice with the team, so his plan will be to “treat my workouts as if I’m playing in the actual game — try to run routes, practice blocking plays and try to simulate the game so that when it’s time to play it’s not like its brand new.’’

Herndon knows what’s around corner and rather than dwelling on it, he’s embracing nights like Saturday.

“It’s going to be really tough,’’ Herndon said. “I’ve gained a pretty good rapport with the guys in the locker room, and just watching how good our offense is going to be, it’s going to suck not playing. But I have to deal with the consequences.’’