The sight of Hakeem Nicks gently running routes with his teammates early in Thursday’s practice allowed the Giants to move closer to becoming whole on offense. Nicks is a huge piece of the puzzle and his return from a broken foot is on schedule.

He won’t play tonight, though, leaving the Giants with Victor Cruz as the only proven receiver to take the field against his favorite team to dominate, the Jets. Once Nicks is back for good, he and Cruz command the two starting spots and the search continues for the third receiver needed to really get Eli Manning’s passing attack cranked up.

“Well, I think there are a number of guys,’’ Manning said. “I don’t know if there’s just one guy right now.’’ A number of guys and not one guy right now are euphemisms for “No one has seized the opportunity yet.’’

Though Mario Manningham struggled for much of last season, he always presented a threat to opposing defenses and if some slouch was lined up against him, Manningham could make him pay in a big way. Manningham is now with the 49ers and to this point none of the candidates looking to fill his role have shown enough to claim the job.

Domenik Hixon, coming back from two knee surgeries, is the most consistent of the bunch, but he was held out of the preseason opener with a slight hamstring issue. Jerrel Jernigan, a second-round pick last year, was impressive early in camp, but didn’t catch a pass last week in Jacksonville. Rookie Rueben Randle already has gained the trust of Manning and the coaching staff as a sure-handed, natural pass-catcher, but he’s still learning the nuances of route-running. Ramses Barden, as usual, had his moments in camp, and managed one catch last week for 14 yards. But he hasn’t been able to maintain any positive momentum.

If one of these receivers is going to emerge from the pack, he hasn’t done so yet.

“It’s been a little bit of everyone,’’ Cruz said. “Ramses had a great training camp, Jerrel Jernigan had a great training camp, Rueben Randle did some good things. It’s going to be tough for these coaches. I’m glad I’m not a coach or anybody working up top because it’s going to be tough to pick one of those guys or even two of those guys to be our third or fourth receiver. They’re all talented and all good players.’’

Those are the supportive words of a teammate, but Manning is more discerning. He demands a great deal from his targets, and if they deviate from the script or fail to make the proper read, it doesn’t sit well with the franchise quarterback.

“These preseason games are big, when you see them against live action, against good corners, see their releases, and see if they’re doing a good job getting open,’’ Manning said. “So, it’s always a good problem to have as a quarterback, have a number of receivers who can come in and play well for you.’’

Of course, it’s not known whether Manning truly does have a number of receivers who can play well or just a bunch of receivers who can play, but perhaps not very well.

“Well, I think some guys do some things better than others,’’ Manning said. “So, I think that’s why you usually carry six receivers, so you can put guys in certain spots, have them do what they do best.’’

Hixon must be considered the favorite to occupy the No. 3 spot at the start of the season, at least until Randle is ready.

“[Hixon’s] played very well, and done a great job,’’ Manning said. “So, I’m excited about having him back, because he’s played in games and he’s played well for us in the past.’’