That's where the extra conversations come in. Adams considers himself a good listener, and McCray's perspective is worth listening to as a young player who has all but locked down the starting job at right guard.

For McCray, the value of the impromptu chats on the practice field cuts both ways, so he's happy to oblige Adams, even if they were just in each other's faces battling away.

"It's like an 'across the hall' meeting," McCray said, referring to the times in the offseason the offensive and defensive players would share perspectives in the video rooms. "It's like watching film and getting into another player's mind."

Adams' approach is making an impression, and the enjoyment of his first training camp since college is showing through as well.

"He's hungry, and that's what you want out of all your teammates," Daniels said. "Being an older guy in the same room as him, you want younger guys to push you with the way they practice, perform and compete, and I think he's been bringing that edge. He's only going to get better."

As he works to add a greater variety of pass-rush moves to his repertoire, Adams is also looking to fit in amongst a mix of personalities on the defensive line. Daniels is loud and boisterous while Wilkerson is more quiet and laid-back. Clark and third-year pro Dean Lowry fall somewhere in between.

Adams, who's been known to tap an unsuspecting team website reporter on one shoulder only to walk away in the other direction, just smiles at a request to describe his own personality. Because it matters little to him compared to his health and the fact that he's practicing every day.

"I'm just happy to be in a group I can learn from and that really want to help me," he said.