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EAGAN Eric Staal Jersey , Minn. (AP) — When Trevor Siemian embarked on a Mexican vacation in the thick of NFL free agency, he was excited to relax with his fiancée during her break from law school at the University of Denver.

As it turned out, he’d have a move awaiting him.

“I remember thinking I better get back home and start working on how I’m going to get my stuff over to Minnesota,” Siemian said after a recent practice at Minnesota Vikings training camp.

The fourth-year quarterback was traded from the Denver Broncos for a fifth-round pick and now enters the final year of his rookie contract with a new team. Barring injury, he’ll be the backup to Kirk Cousins, who signed a three-year, $84 million contract as Minnesota’s starter.

Siemian comes off a two-year stint as the Broncos primary starter, posting a 13-11 record. But he lost five straight starts in 2017 as the Broncos fell out of the playoff race and finished 5-11.

The Broncos opted to acquire former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum in free agency, which led to Siemian’s departure.

Minnesota rode Keenum, who started the season as a backup, to a 13-3 record and an NFC Championship Game appearance last season. They know the importance of experience at the backup quarterback position.

“Any time you have a guy as a No. 2 quarterback that has played in games and played well in games, I think that’s a good thing P.K Subban Jersey ,” said offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

Siemian should play extensively against his former team on Aug. 11 when the Vikings and Broncos meet in the preseason opener. Denver selected Siemian in the seventh round in 2015.

“My first year I played one snap in a kneel down and then I started my second year,” Siemian said. “My role kind of evolved pretty quickly there. I could go on and on about how I’ve grown as a player and as a teammate, understanding how the league works, how offensive schemes work, defenses work.”

Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer and DeFilippo have spoken highly of the communication in the quarterback room, where two new ones and a new offensive coordinator are attempting to mesh and help the Vikings repeat as NFC North champions.

“I think Kirk’s really intelligent,” Siemian said. “He’s done a really good job of taking control of the system. We’ve got some really good conversation going on in there.”

It hasn’t been an easy start to training camp with numerous injuries on the Vikings offensive line. But Siemian, who learned under Peyton Manning as a third-string quarterback in 2015, has been a steadying presence in meetings.

“Just as a guy, I love his demeanor,” Cousins said. “Whatever you want to call it — laid back, go with the flow Jimmy Vesey Jersey , calm, cool. It’s just good for me to have there.”

Siemian and fiancée Bo Podkopacz feel at home in Minnesota, too. Podkopacz attended Wayzata High School in the Twin Cities area and met Siemian while playing soccer at Northwestern University. The two have a wedding scheduled for June 2019.

Just like his approach when facing a third-down blitz, Siemian has a wedding plan strategy in mind.

“I’m staying out of the way,” he said.

The Minnesota Vikings have completed their plan to turn over their kicking duties to rookie Daniel Carlson, releasing veteran Kai Forbath with two weeks remaining in the preseason.

For all the training camp drills and exhibition game extra points the Vikings can give Carlson, there's no way for him to experience the pressure and scrutiny that comes with the job on a championship-chasing team.

For all the calm the Southeastern Conference's all-time scoring leader has exhibited around Vikings headquarters since they drafted him out of Auburn in the fifth round in April, there's no way for them to know how he'll handle the enormous responsibility until September.

"We'll just see how it goes," coach Mike Zimmer said on Monday after Forbath was let go. "You make your decision, and you live with it."

Forbath took both field goal tries in Minnesota's exhibition game on Saturday against Jacksonville and missed one when it hit the right upright. In 25 games with the Vikings, including the playoffs, Forbath made 48 of 56 extra points and 50 of 57 field goals.

He stabilized the position when a struggling Blair Walsh left it in disarray midway through the 2016 season and made his share of clutch kicks Connor Brown Jersey , but the 30-year-old never quite found enough of a groove to gain the team's full trust.

The Vikings were looking for more depth on their kickoffs as well as consistency on field goals and extra points, and the 6-foot-5 Carlson has the stronger leg.

"At the end of the day it's who can make the important kicks and who the team has confidence in, so I feel really good that the coaches and the staff have entrusted me with that confidence," Carlson said.

He was quick to credit Forbath for his class in handling a dynamic that could've been awkward from the day the Vikings took Carlson with the 167th overall selection. Forbath has kicked for three NFL teams, mostly with Washington.

"Kai's given me a run for my money, and he's had a lot of success here and elsewhere. So it was a great competition," Carlson said, adding: "I wish him nothing but the best, but I'm excited to be staying around here and get ready for the real work."

The Vikings invested a sixth-round draft pick in Walsh in 2012 and watched him become an All-Pro as a rookie. He never repeated that performance, though, and four seasons later the team had no choice but to start fresh. Now they're counting on not having to make any more changes with the role for many years.

"Every kick's a pressure kick, and you know your job is going to be on the line and it's probably going to be decided on a few different kicks Philipp Grubauer Jersey ," Carlson said, adding: "You want to be on a winning team. ... I'm just going to take that and run with it."

The game on Saturday was particularly painful for the bottom of the roster, with five players injured and needing assistance off the field. Defensive end Ade Aruna (right knee) was placed on injured reserve on Monday. Offensive lineman Cedrick Lang (right leg) and fullback Johnny Stanton (left leg) were waived with an injured designation, meaning they must clear waivers before being placed on injured reserve. Tight end Josiah Price (right knee) was also waived-injured, after getting hurt in practice last week. The Vikings signed two players to fill open spots, including fullback Kobe McCrary, who played in college at Minnesota.

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