5w20

Did an oil change last night and cut open the filter after work today. I noticed these small pieces of carbon scattered around inside the filter housing and filter. Oil that was drained was Amsoil SS 5w20 and oil that went in was the same. Is this evidence of cleaning prior deposits?

Okay full disclosure this is my first post here. I KNOW oil is a very intricate and highly debated aspect of engine performance, but I am still in the infancy of learning vehicle maintenance and repair so go easy on my naivete. My question goes slightly deeper than what's the best...