ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In the end, Jordan Taylor hopes it all turns out to be a called shot by Peyton Manning.

It was Manning, who was in the midst of a retirement news conference when he said of Taylor, a wide receiver now in his second year with the Denver Broncos: “Jordan Taylor is going to surprise a lot of people for the Broncos next year, in my opinion."

It is "next year," and Taylor, whose teammates and coaches call "Sunshine" for his shoulder length hair and after the character in "Remember the Titans," did make the jump from practice squad wide receiver to the 53-man roster in 2016. He has just seven receptions in limited duty this season but had his first career touchdown catch -- a nifty, get-your-toes-down, 14-yard reception -- in the Broncos' victory in New Orleans before their bye.

“I really appreciate the kind words and the confidence he had in me," Taylor said. “And this year, I’m just trying to do what I can for the team and make the most of the opportunities I get. When I get in there, I try to make a play for us, and hopefully I can keep working for some more opportunities."

Jordan Taylor had his first career touchdown catch in the Broncos' win in New Orleans. AP Photo/Butch Dill

The Broncos have several regulars who made the transition from the practice squad to the roster, including center Matt Paradis, linebacker Brandon Marshall, wide receiver Bennie Fowler and linebacker Shaquil Barrett. But what separates Taylor’s transition from the others’ are the rather intense private throwing sessions he had with a future Hall of Famer.

As Manning was working his way back from a foot injury last November and December, he had daily throwing sessions in the Broncos’ indoor practice facility with several members of the team’s support staff, like assistant equipment manager Mike Harrington. Tight end Jeff Heuerman, who was rehabbing his knee while on injured reserve, and Taylor, who was the only wide receiver on the practice squad at the time, were also in those sessions.

So for weeks, Taylor ran routes for Manning, asked questions of Manning, was critiqued by Manning and learned from Manning.

“Absolutely it helped, the knowledge you gain from him, not only are you out there running routes, working on route technique, but how to approach the game, how to read coverages -- even though there wasn’t a defense out there. He was letting us know what kind of defense would be out there, and based on that you did, the things you needed to do," Taylor said. “Just to see his approach to the game mentally, the way he studied, the things that he did, I’ll definitely carry those with me the rest of my career."

Taylor said many of the lessons he learned in those sessions, which were often held in the morning before the Broncos’ main practice of the day, put Taylor in position to make the Broncos' roster after a tight training camp battle -- Taylor led the Broncos with 192 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the preseason. When Manning was ready to re-enter the lineup in the regular-season finale, he was quick to praise both Taylor and Heuerman for their roles in his rehab.

In short, Taylor benefited plenty from that time with Manning, time that would not have been a consideration had Manning been healthy and in the starting lineup.

“You don’t want him to be hurt, you don’t want to see him like that," Taylor said. “But I mean, at the same time, to be out there doing whatever I could to help him get back, that helped me so much. It was very interesting. It was a lot of time that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to spend with him."

Taylor is part of a crowded portion of the depth chart these days, as the Broncos have seven wide receivers on the roster with the recent addition of Marlon Brown. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are clearly the Broncos’ top two wideouts.

Jordan Norwood has played as the No. 3 of late because he can line up in the slot. It has left Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer and Taylor in a rotation, with Taylor often playing as Thomas’ backup. And that rotation was before Brown arrived.

But Taylor’s touchdown catch against the Saints came after Thomas had briefly left the game after limping following a catch.

“I think I’m comfortable playing behind [Thomas] in that spot, that’s probably where I’m most comfortable in the offense," Taylor said. “But I look at it like, I just want to keep it going, keep contributing something when you go in. You know [Thomas] and Emmanuel are huge parts of the offense, so I just want to make the most of what opportunities come my way."