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Cheese Curds, 10/6: In Packers’ secondary, Burnett calls the shots & Hawkins steps up

The Packers have given Burnett the communications helmet, adding to his already diverse responsibilities.

NFL: Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Green Bay Packers’ defensive secondary has already seen a rotation of players coming in and out of the lineup in 2017, as the team has had six different players take significant snaps at cornerback through four games.

Some of those changes were due to injury, as Davon House has missed a pair of games. Some have been due to poor play, as is the case with the benchings of Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins. Still more have been due to impressive play, as rookie Kevin King and Morgan Burnett have carved out roles for themselves on the boundary and in the slot, respectively.

One quietly impressive facet of the Packers’ secondary so far involves Burnett, who has been adding to his already diverse responsibilities by taking and relaying the defensive signals to his teammates on the field. Burnett has been excellent as a slot corner in the past two games, but his communication and understanding of the defense are additional critical aspects to his value on this team.

In today’s curds, check out several pieces about the Packers’ secondary as we look ahead to Sunday’s game in Dallas.

Morgan Burnett in right position to relay signals | Packersnews.com
Burnett has been wearing the communications helmet on defense this year, despite playing safety, inside linebacker, and -- most commonly in recent weeks -- slot cornerback.

Packers CB Josh Hawkins has earned more snaps, opportunities | Packers Wire
That's according to cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt, who complimented Hawkins' performance against the Bears and credited him with three pass breakups.

In defense of Damarious Randall: Packers think he'll learn from mistakes | ESPN.com
One of the other comments from the coaches on Thursday was from Whitt about Randall. Whitt implied that Randall just got beaten by Kendall Wright, not that there was a mistake relating to the called coverage.

Nick Perry 'played well' in first game back with club | Packers.com
Kenny Clark also earned some praise from his defensive coordinator and position coach, while safeties coach Darren Perry acknowledges that rookie Josh Jones has been asked to do "a lot," but not much at the true safety position.

Patriots vs. Buccaneers: Nick Folk’s terrible Thursday night might cost him his job - SBNation.com
Folk missed field goals from 56 and 49 yards -- not great, but at least excusable -- but he then missed a 31-yard attempt. The Buccaneers lost by five points.