When Jennings signed as a free agent in March, he figured to be the starting running back, but Skiba nonetheless suggested that he dress next to Manning.

“Rashad smiled and said, ‘Well, he’s the guy who hands me the ball, so that’s cool,’ ” Skiba said.

But his proximity to Manning means Jennings often has to wait in the middle of the locker room until the reporters and television cameras leave and clear the path to his locker. Jennings, seated at his locker when Manning’s news conference began Wednesday, was soon enveloped by members of the news media.

“It comes with the territory; I don’t mind at all,” Jennings said, smiling. “We joke about it because Eli is a funny dude. People don’t know how hilarious Eli is. He’s got a sense of humor that would be a good fit for the TV show ‘The Office.’

“You’ve got to be paying attention to get his punch lines. You’ve got to be thinking. But if you are listening closely, he’s just hysterical.”

One year ago, Beason was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Panthers and brought an animated, garrulous personality to what was then the Manning-Rolle corner of the locker room. Beason wanted to dress next to Rolle, a former college teammate at Miami.

“Jon is a take-charge guy and always has been,” Rolle said. “He has a lot of contagious spirit that other players follow. He and I are close, and we’re very vocal leaders, and we do have a lot of insight into what’s going on and what the game plan is. So we have a lot of communicating to do with the rest of the team, and we talk about that.

“I mean, I would dress wherever they put my name. But this is where we are, so we talk a lot.”

Beason agreed.