When Lorenzo Alexander arrived in Washington in 2006 as an undrafted free agent, he was one of the unfamiliar faces in training camp.

Now, five years later, Alexander is one of the recognizable players on a Redskins team in transition.

"There's a lot of turnover," he said. "It's a whole different team back from when I got here. But that's the life of the NFL: you have to get used to it."

Even with all of the new faces, there could be more once free agents are allowed to practice on Thursday.

"A lot of the guys I don't know, I'm not comfortable with quite yet," Alexander said. "You're not sure who you're going to hang out with quite yet. So you're just trying to feel guys out and get to know them over this period of camp."

Just at Alexander's linebacker position, there are rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Markus White among the new faces.

Alexander is expected to compete for playing time with Kerrigan, the Redskins' top draft pick last April. He could also see action at inside linebacker, where he would compete with Perry Riley for playing time.

One thing that's difficult for veteran players is adjusting to the loss of friends on the team each offseason.

"The only thing that's different is that Kedric [Golston] and Chris Wilson, all those guys I was close to, aren't here," he said. "But you keep those bonds. I still talk to them, whether they're here or not."

Once the rosters do expand, there will be few repetitions to go around, which is both good and bad for players trying to make an impression.

"It's a Catch 22," Alexander explained. "Mentally it does [help], but when you're tired, it's hard to think straight and to think about what you've got to do. Right now I'm thinking a lot, so when you're tired you have to do both and it's a little bit harder."

Not all roster subtractions are a bad thing though, and Alexander is happy to be rid of some of the distractions that plagued the team last year.

"It's good to just talk about football," he said with a laugh. "All we want to do out here is play games, win games, and get back to the playoffs."