For thought 1: I think it works well the way it is. As much as I love Rex, the stories of these clones stand out on their own. It’s a nice little anthology that doesn’t really need more connectivity than is already there.
Thought 2: This does feel like it would connect Mandalore more closely to the overall war until the Maul factor kicks in fully. I think it could work either this way or how it was presented originally though.