The Giants are in the midst of a third consecutive lost season as they enter the second half of 2019, but that does not mean all hope is lost that the franchise has a bright future.

An NFL franchise’s trajectory is determined almost solely by the stability and optimism of its quarterback situation. Thanks to rookie Daniel Jones, the Giants have plenty of optimism at the position where it matters most.

Through his first six starts, Jones has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,466 yards with 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and two rushing touchdowns. Jones’ 53.4 QBR is the highest of any quarterback chosen in the past two years, and he leads that same group with an 84.4 quarterback rating.

However, there are several areas where Jones must improve if the Giants are going to follow in the footsteps of the Eagles’ Carson Wentz (who was a driving force in Philadelphia’s 2017 Super Bowl run and an MVP candidate), Patrick Mahomes (who led the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game in his second season, and first as a starter) or Jared Goff (who led the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl in his third season).

If Jones improves, general manager Dave Gettleman makes sound decisions in the NFL draft, and adds important pieces via free agency, there’s little reason to doubt the Giants could push for a playoff berth as early as 2020.

Here is our blueprint for what the Giants must see from Jones in the second half of this season and how they must build around him in a critical offseason:

Get Daniel Jones to show marked improvement in ball security, decision-making:

Nothing matters more for the Giants than Daniel Jones panning out as a top quarterback in the NFL. The biggest hurdle Jones still needs to clear is eliminating turnovers and making better decisions from the pocket. Through six starts, Jones leads the league with 13 turnovers, and according to Pro Football Focus also leads the league in both big-time throws and turnover worthy plays. The Giants hired Pat Shurmur in large part to groom Eli Manning’s successor, and if Jones does not make real progress over the final eight games in terms of his ball security and decision-making, it is going to be difficult to justify bringing Shurmur back in 2020, just as Steve Wilkes, Todd Bowles and Jeff Fisher were let go when they didn’t get the most out of their rookie passers.

Play cornerbacks Corey Ballentine, Sam Beal and safety Julian Love during the second half:

The Giants’ passing defense ranks No. 22 in the NFL after eight games and with a 2-6 record, the time has come to use the second half to evaluate the young talent on the roster. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher says the plan is for Sam Beal to play outside cornerback when he’s eligible to return Monday against the Dallas Cowboys. Beal should see significant playing time so the Giants can evaluate what they have and so he can get experience. Likewise, Corey Ballentine -- once he clears the concussion protocol -- should get on the field. Julian Love has only played three defensive snaps at safety, but the time has come for the fourth-round pick to replace Antoine Bethea at safety. Bethea has frequently been beaten over the top in coverage or been out of position, and the Giants need to find out whether Love is a long-term solution to an ongoing problem at safety.

Find at least one young offensive tackle:

The Giants stood pat at the trade deadline on offense, and held onto left tackle Nate Solder, despite the veteran allowing seven sacks and 33 pressures through the first eight games. That’s unacceptable when it comes to protecting and helping a young quarterback develop. Through two offseasons, Gettleman has not drafted an offensive tackle. That needs to change. Immediately. Solder and Mike Remmers are nothing more than one-year bandaids. If the Giants choose to take a tackle in the first round next April, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas or Washington’s Trey Adams should be high on New York’s big board.

Re-sign Leonard Williams:

Trading a third and fifth-round pick for Williams would be an abject disaster for a rebuilding team, which makes re-signing him a top priority. The Giants are unlikely to recoup a compensatory pick if Williams walks, because they are expected to be big spenders in free agency. The problem for the Giants is that Williams could play himself into a big pay day if he dominates the second half of the season. Look for Williams to command upwards of $10 million per season. However, the Giants’ work along the front-seven won’t be complete until Gettleman signs and/or drafts one more premier rusher to free up Williams from facing double-teams, which he struggled to beat during his time with the Jets.

Re-sign Markus Golden:

Golden signed a one-year “prove it” deal with the Giants this spring, and he has proven to be all the way back from a torn ACL and that he has returned to the dominant level of play he showed in 2016 when he produced a career-high 12.5 sacks. Along with leading the Giants with five sacks through eight weeks, Golden has emerged as one of the team’s most respected leaders. Re-signing Golden should be a priority for the Giants.

Draft one of the top edge rushers:

As mentioned above, in order to unlock Williams’ potential and free him from double-teams, the Giants would be wise to target one of the top pass rushers such as Ohio State’s Chase Young, Penn State’s Yetur-Gross Matos or Iowa’s A.J. Espensa to pair with Golden, Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines. Successful teams and defenses have a dominant pass rush, and adding one more potentially elite rusher to the Giants’ stable would be a step in the right direction and potentially bring out the top-10 talent in Williams that the Jets saw in 2015 and the Giants believe they can get after the trade.

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Add talent at inside linebacker:

The Giants might have the least-talented inside linebacking corps in the NFL. Alec Ogletree is a high-priced liability in coverage. David Mayo is inconsistent. Getting Ryan Connelly back from a torn ACL, after he showed promise in three starts, but this is a position group in dire need of an infusion of talent. Kyle Van Noy and Danny Trevathan are likely to be the top two free agents available, and the Giants would be wise to at least kick the tires on both.

Find an upgrade at safety:

Whether it is Love, one of the top safety prospects in the draft, or a top free agent such as HaHa Clinton-Dix, Rodney McLeod or Jimmy Ward, the Giants need to get a free safety who is strong in coverage alongside Jabrill Peppers, or else offenses are going to continue to air it out with ease against this defense.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL