If all goes according to plan for the Giants, Davis Webb won't take a meaningful snap in 2018.

If disaster strikes and Eli Manning misses time due to injury for the first time in his 15-year career, Webb will be thrust into the spotlight for a team with win-now expectations.

In either case, getting game experience for Webb, a second-year pro with zero career regular-season snaps, was a top preseason priority for the Giants.

So why didn't he play in the preseason finale against the Patriots, when third-stringer Kyle Lauletta started and fourth-stringer Alex Tanney finished at quarterback?

"We felt like he's had lots of reps this year," coach Pat Shurmur said. "Whether it be practice, and really he had the most of anybody in the games, as well.

"It had less to do about Davis and more to do about Kyle. We wanted to see what we had in Kyle. Because we were going to start Kyle, I didn't want to put Davis back in there at the end. And we also wanted to take a really good look at Tanney."

Webb said he was informed Wednesday night that he would join Manning on the bench. It is commonplace around the NFL for starters and key backups at non-quarterback positions to sit out the final game of the preseason rather than risk injury.

"I think I showed the coaching staff," Webb said, "and most importantly my teammates, that I can play quarterback for this team. Whenever I get my next chance, hopefully I'll be ready."

Shurmur has been reluctant to officially name Webb the No. 2 quarterback even though he filled the shoes all preseason.

"I feel confident with all three of those guys," Shurmur said of his backup quarterbacks.

In the 17-12 loss, Lauletta completed 8-for-19 passes for 118 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Tanney, who is a longshot to make the roster, played most of the second half and finished 13-of-23 for 92 yards and one touchdown.

"Obviously, I wanted to play," Webb said. "You always want to be out there with your teammates. I want to throw them the ball and call plays in the huddle. But I was really excited to see Kyle perform, and really, really excited to see Alex. I think they both did a really good job."

Shurmur spoke many times in the offseason leading up to the draft about the difficulty of evaluating Webb with so little film available from his rookie year. Apparently, he saw enough during two minicamps, organized team activities, training camp and three preseason games.

Webb finished the preseason 28-of-53 for 283 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The former third-round pick's biggest showcase was a start in Week 2 of the preseason against the Lions, and he delivered a strong performance.

So is sitting out a compliment that the Giants had seen all they needed from Webb?

"I'm not really sure," Webb said. "I've had a lot of throws with 2 group and the 1 group. I did the best I could, and I think I got better each and every day. I feel confident with where I'm at. I know my teammates do, and that's the most important thing to me."

Unlike in the past, when Manning had the likes of David Carr, Curtis Painter, Anthony Wright and others as his first backup, the Giants do not have an experienced fall-back option because they need to keep Webb and Lauletta on the 53-man roster to protect them from a waiver claim.

Webb struggled in Week 1 of the preseason but said it feels like a distant memory compared to his comfort level with the regular season set to begin Sept. 9.

"I don't think it's even close," he said. "Everybody can see that. I was very fired up. I was really driven to play good that game, and a little amped up. I was a little inaccurate. I think I stepped up the next week, battled some adversity and persevered a little bit."

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.