GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Lance Kendricks isn't the one with the cheesehead in his locker, although as a Milwaukee native and University of Wisconsin graduate, perhaps he should be.

He isn't the veteran tight end who receives all the offseason attention for signing with the Green Bay Packers, although given his connection to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, perhaps he should be.

And the 29-year-old isn't the one who attracts crowds of reporters to his locker on a daily basis -- like the cheesehead-wearing, media-friendly Martellus Bennett.

Two locker stalls down is Kendricks, who in some ways is the Packers' forgotten free agent. While Bennett has grabbed the headlines, Kendricks has made at least as favorable an impression in his first season with the Packers.

"He's all business," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "He's a real pro. He's got excellent work ethic."

Create or join a league today >>

Cheat Sheet Central >>

That's no knock on or a comparison to Bennett; McCarthy also said he loves Bennett's "big personality." With Kendricks, it's all about football. When the Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles, he started working out at the same gym as Rodgers. The two became friends, and when the Rams cut Kendricks in March, the Packers signed him just one day after they signed Bennett.

For Kendricks, it was not only a homecoming but the chance to win -- something he did very little of with the Rams. In his six seasons in St. Louis and LA, he never made the playoffs and never played on a winning team. The best the Rams could do was 7-8-1 in 2012, his second season. They were a combined 33-62-1 while he was there.

It's almost remarkable that Kendricks managed a career-best 50 catches last season on a team that went 4-12 with Case Keenum and Jared Goff as its quarterbacks.

"Every receiver's dream is to catch passes from a quarterback who knows the system, and for me it works out great," Kendricks said. "I'm coming into a system that's already established, and it's on me to pick it up and learn it. I'm definitely grateful to be here."

And McCarthy seems thrilled to have him.

"Anytime you have a player come from another program, you're always interested not only in the player-to-coach relationship but really the player-to-player relationship," McCarthy said. "What do they bring to the table? What do they bring to the program? And that's something I'm very conscientious about. I mean, 90-plus percent of our players are drafted here, so they don't know any better. When a guy bitches about the towels or something, you go, 'Give me a break.' But if Lance complains about something, I'm going to listen to it. But it's, it's a learning process, and it's really what do they add to the locker room. Because at the end of the day it's all about the locker room, and I think he brings a real, true pro's pro approach to it."

Both Kendricks and Bennett appear to have fit right into an offense that was at its best last season when another tight end, Jared Cook, was on the field.

"I love Lance; I've always loved him, watching his tapes and watching him grow up in the league," Bennett said. "I've always been a big fan of guys who can do multiple things. You know he can be in the backfield, he can be out wide, he can be in the slot. He can be at the tight end spot, he can be off the ball. I think his ability to move and be a utility guy is what makes him special. He's physical, he's strong and he's willing to do whatever it takes to play. Anytime you've got a guy like that next to you, it's always fun."

Kendricks has integrated himself so quickly that in some packages he has moved ahead of Richard Rodgers, the fourth-year pro who has the most experience in the Packers' offense.

It's just that he's done it with far less fanfare than Bennett.

"He has a lot of knowledge, he's obviously very funny, he's very motivating to be around," Kendricks said. "And I bring the other side of it. I'm a little more quiet, but I pay attention, I like to lead by example and do things like that. We definitely balance each other out, but it's been a great experience so far. So we're just trying to carry it into the season. We're looking at this as an opportunity for all of us to take pressure off each other and go out there and score some points.

"I'm just a little more low-key, that's all. Marty, he just stands out a little more. But I have my jokes. I have a joke or two."