The sky is not falling on Victor Cruz, and those calling for the Giants to cut their losses and move on from him should chill the heck out.

There is nothing Pollyanna-ish about stepping away from the naysayers and mounting gloom and doom surrounding Cruz’s comeback, nothing naïve about preaching patience here. Sure, the prolonged waiting game last season, the ultimate shock of losing him for all of 2015, cannot be ignored when dealing with this latest setback.

Sometimes, where there is smoke, there is fire. Sometimes, it is merely smoke and easy to douse.

All eyes Wednesday will be on Cruz when the Giants take the field. If he is with his teammates, working in individual and a few team drills, the clock can restart. If he is off to the side, jogging more than running, the optic will appear dimmer than the reality. If, even worse, he is nowhere to be seen, remaining inside for treatment, well, hold the phone, we have panic on the line.

Ben McAdoo, the first-year head coach, set this scenario in motion when he described Cruz’s sore groin as “the hiccup.’’ McAdoo relayed that the Giants are “hoping to get him some work on Wednesday.’’

Thus, the expectation is set for Cruz to get back on the field. This did not come out of the air. McAdoo is not prodding Cruz publicly in order to fast-forward the healing process or light a fire under the ailing receiver. The medical information provided to McAdoo indicated Cruz should be able to go, in one form or another — if not on this day, soon thereafter.

Inside the building, there is no sense this is the end for Cruz or that his career is on its deathbed. This summer has been all about building him back, carefully, making sure to keep the arrow pointing upward after his knee and calf surgeries. All was moving along, slowly and steadily, before his groin acted up. These things happen.

Until the final hour, the Giants should keep Cruz in their plans. Some view him as a bonus; that view is short-sighted. His return could be crucial for the next stage in Odell Beckham Jr.’s development.

Beckham is saying smart things about upping the ante on his leadership traits. He is 23, though. His previous two years with the Giants never afforded him the opportunity to lean on the guidance of an older, more wizened receiver. Beckham was hurt and missed four games to start his rookie year and six quarters into his NFL debut, Cruz went down and out that difficult day in Philadelphia. Since then, Beckham has had to go it alone.

When Beckham melted down in St. Louis, he could have used Cruz by his side. When Beckham could not rise above the fray and went head-hunting at Josh Norman, he needed Cruz to tell him to grow up and cut it out. This season, with Beckham established as a star and targets covering every inch of his tattooed body, he could use someone to share the burden and help steer him to tranquil waters.

Sterling Shepard is a rookie with his own NFL adjustments to make. Dwayne Harris is a solid guy, but mostly a special teamer. There is no other receiver, or player on offense, for that matter, who can relate to Odell better than Cruz.

Already, we are seeing a different tack taken by McAdoo. Tom Coughlin agonized over injuries, dwelled on who was out, how much time they were missing. At least once a summer, he could be baited by a simple question — “How damaging is it for [fill in the name of a young player] that he is not practicing while other guys are?”

Coughlin like clockwork would go off on a frustration-laced commentary that surely made that injured player’s ears burn.

McAdoo, 39 and unscarred, has thus far not dwelled on who is down and who is out. It does not hurt that his first training camp has produced a few aches and pains but nothing remotely serious as far as season-affecting injuries.

This Cruz affair, if it lingers, will test McAdoo’s resolve. What must be kept in perspective is that there are 18 days until final cuts, 26 days until the Giants face the Cowboys in the regular-season opener. There might have to be a day of reckoning for Victor Cruz. But not now. Not yet.