(4) Defensive tackle Andrew Billings is excited about the depth of the defensive line after additions in free agency and the draft.

“We were talking about it yesterday, there’s no drop off,” Billings said. “I mean, me, Dex (Gervon Dexter Sr.), Shemar [Turner], Grady [Jarrett], it’s just everybody. You’ve gotta deal with everybody, no matter who’s on the field.”

While Billings and Dexter return for their third season together, Jarrett joined the group in March via free agency for his 11th NFL season while Turner was selected in the second round of this year’s draft. As Billings heads into his ninth NFL season, he believes Jarrett will be a big help for the entire unit.

“Grady has brought something different to the room, and it’s really, really refreshing … I’m gonna learn a lot from him,” Billings added.

(5) Odunze praised receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El for his knowledge and expertise of the receiver position and described his relationship with the former NFL wideout.

“It’s been great,” Odunze said. “He brings a lot of energy. I say all the time, he reminds me a lot of [former University of Washington receivers coach] JaMarcus Shephard. I’m not going to compare the two, but they’re two great men. Very Christian and supportive of the Bible and giving us verses and things that inspire us. Words of wisdom, as well. Also, their on-the-field knowledge and the energy that they bring to every practice, every day, it’s something that I feel like I have a great response to and chemistry when it comes to that coaching style.”

(6) Third-year quarterback Tyson Bagent has benefited from the addition of Keenum, a 13-year NFL veteran.

“[He’s] just an encyclopedia of information,” Bagent said. “Just somebody that’s been in every role that a quarterback could possibly be in in the NFL, and I’ve just been trying to take advantage of that and really any question that I have if he’s around or if I’ve got my phone on me, wanting to ask him basically whatever it is that’s been going on. He’s been great with answering every question that really everybody in the room has so far.”

While speaking to reporters last week, Keenum had high praise for Bagent, who the veteran said is “one of the most well-prepared guys on that field every day” and believes will “play a long time in this league.”

“For anybody to say that is pretty sweet and pretty cool, but it means a lot,” Bagent said. “This is my life’s work so it does mean a lot. Coming from somebody like him, it means a little bit more.”

The significance of that praise from Keenum stems from the first time Bagent attended an NFL game, which was a 2019 matchup between the Commanders and Giants where Keenum entered the game in the second quarter.

“I’m about five rows up behind the end zone and they’re backed up on their own 1 and he just manufactured a 95-yard drive,” Bagent said. “And really the one throw that sticks out, he dropped back, foot was probably an inch from being out of bounds, out of the back of the end zone and threw an over route to [Jamison] Crowder I want to say. And just the angle and the drive that followed was something that I didn’t forget … So for him to say something like that is extremely cool.”

(7) Johnson is taking time to not only evaluate the players’ offseason work, but the work of himself and his coaching staff.

“I’m critical of myself,” Johnson said. “The practice was probably, it can be a little bit smoother in terms of how we function. I need to communicate with everyone a little bit better – the coaching staff, the equipment staff and I’m going to get better there. I’ll do a better job once we get to camp.

“But I was really impressed with the entire coaching staff. I mean, we’ve got the right mix of guys: experience, youth, energy, ideas — it’s coming together. And I hope our players really understood — it’s hard to gain trust in such a short period of time — hopefully, they understand that our guys mean business, this coaching staff means business, they know what good football looks like, they know what winning football looks like, and they’re committed to bringing that here.”