Art Stapleton | NFL writer

EAST RUTHERFORD — The Giants have released their initial depth chart - albeit unofficial - in advance of Thursday night's preseason opener against the Jets.

Here are some takeaways:

* Daniel Jones is the No. 2 quarterback behind Eli Manning, which shouldn't come as a surprise. Manning has taken every first team snap in camp, and Jones has been firmly entrenched as QB2. That being said: it's a statement of where Jones is, and the Giants, to their credit, are not playing any games with his status. While Giants coach Pat Shurmur promises Jones will be getting first-team reps at some point, there should be no question when he plays against the Jets - that'll be early.

Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

* Tae Davis is the starter at inside linebacker with Alec Ogletree, and he's actually listed at "money" backer, an important position in defensive coordinator James Bettcher's system. Says a lot about the chance the Giants have given the second-year undrafted player, and the importance of finding linebackers who can cover and not just play the run. Will be interesting to see if Davis can improve the physicality of his game and show he can do both.

* Jon Halapio is the starting center.

* Jabrill Peppers is listed as the No. 1 punt returner, but not kickoff.

Here's the full depth chart:

First team offense

Quarterback: Eli Manning

Running back: Saquon Barkley

Wide receivers: Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate

Tight ends: Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison

Left tackle: Nate Solder

Left guard: Will Hernandez

Center: Jon Halapio

Right guard: Kevin Zeitler

Right tackle: Mike Remmers

First team defense

Defensive line: B.J. Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence

Inside linebacker: Alec Ogletree, Tae Davis

Outside linebacker: Lorenzo Carter, Kareem Martin

Cornerback: Janoris Jenkins, DeAndre Baker

Safety: Jabrill Peppers, Antoine Bethea

Second team offense

Quarterback: Daniel Jones

Running back: Wayne Gallman

Wide receivers: Cody Latimer, Russell Shepard, Bennie Fowler

Tight ends: Scott Simonson, Garrett Dickerson

Left tackle: Chad Wheeler

Left guard: Victor Salako

Center: Spencer Pulley

Right guard: Evan Brown

Right tackle: Chad Wheeler

Second team defense

Defensive line: R.J. McIntosh, John Jenkins, Olsen Pierre

Inside linebacker: B.J. Goodson, Ryan Connelly

Outside linebacker: Markus Golden, Oshane Ximines

Cornerback: Antonio Hamilton, Grant Haley

Safety: Michael Thomas, Julian Love

Third team offense

Quarterback: Alex Tanney

Running back: Paul Perkins, Rod Smith

Wide receiver: Darius Slayton, Alonzo Russell, Brittan Golden

Tight ends: C.J. Conrad, Isaiah Searight

Left tackle: Brian Mihalik

Left guard: Nick Gates

Center: James O'Hagan

Right guard: Chad Slade

Right tackle: Brian Mihalik

Third team defense

Defensive line: Freedom Akinmoladun, Chris Slayton, Jake Ceresna

Inside linebacker: Nate Stupar, Jonathan Anderson

Outside linebacker: Avery Moss, Keion Adams

Cornerback: Corey Ballentine, Sam Beal

Safety: Sean Chandler, Kenny Ladler

Fourth team offense

Quarterback: Kyle Lauletta

Running back: Eli Penny, Jon Hilliman

Wide receiver: Reggie White Jr., T.J. Jones, Amba Etta-Tawo, Alex Wesley, Da'Mari Scott

Left tackle: Paul Adams

Left guard: Malcolm Bunche

Right tackle: George Asafo-Adjei

Fourth team defense

Defensive line/linebacker: Terrence Fede

Inside linebacker: Josiah Taouefa

Outside linebacker: Jake Carlock, Joey Alfieri

Cornerback: Ronald Zamort, Henre Tolliver

Safety: Tenny Adewusi

Specialists

Kicker: Aldrick Rosas

Punter: Riley Dixon, Ryan Anderson

Long snapper: Zak DeOssie, Taybor Pepper

Kick returner: Cody Latimer, T.J. Jones, Corey Ballentine

Punt returner: Jabrill Peppers, Golden Tate, T.J. Jones, Brittan Golden, Darius Slayton

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com