>Namecheap then always keeps expired domains in a grace period status for about two weeks where I can still renew after expiration.

That is standard behaviour for a domain-registrar, when a domain expires. When a domain expires the previous owner can re-register it during the grace period, after that for an extra fee it can be renewed in the redemption-period.

Finally just before a domain is available for re-registration by an unrelated party it will land in the pending-delete state.