Wayne High School graduate Greg Orton’s pursuit of an NFL career has been an uphill battle to say the least.

Since finishing a stellar career as a wide receiver at Purdue University in 2008, he’s been brushed aside by various teams and even cut by an Arena League franchise.

But he hasn’t given up, and this summer he hopes to secure a spot with the Denver Broncos and catch passes from their new quarterback, the legendary Peyton Manning.

“It has been a long journey to get back to where I am now,” Orton said last week in a telephone interview. “I give all my thanks to God because those were some tough times being in the Arena League.

“I was so thankful and appreciative when I got the call to return to Denver. I worked hard and did whatever I had to do to get back here.”

Orton, 25, was in the Broncos’ training camp last year only to be released prior to the regular season. He was signed to the team’s practice squad in November. Now it’s all about taking advantage of this latest opportunity and making it tough for the Broncos to cut him again.

His first taste of the NFL came when he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2009.

It wasn’t the best scenario for an undrafted rookie to show what he could do.

“When I got to the Bengals, I was kind of in an (awkward) situation because of the depth at receiver,” Orton said. “I really didn’t get to put anything on film so it kind of hurt me.”

He also admits to straying from his faith during that period.

“Being away from God didn’t help matters,” he said. “I wasn’t doing the things that I needed to be doing to serve him. It just took me a while to realize that.”

After the Bengals released him during the preseason, Orton — whose sister Ja’Monica, a Stebbins grad, recently signed to play basketball at Wright State — was out of football for several months before signing with the Spokane Shock of the Arena League in March 2010. Orton led the Shock in receptions (121), receiving yards (1,601) and touchdowns (35) only to be cut unexpectedly.

Welcome to the low point.

“That was real hard for me and I almost gave up on football,” Orton said. “When I got cut from Arena I felt like I wasn’t good enough to play. It got to a point where I had lost everything.

“I was completely broke and didn’t know where I was going to sleep. Those were some tough and dark times.

“God was showing me that I needed him, and I started seeking him. Within a week of giving my life to him, I received a call from the same Arena team who cut me, and we ended up winning a championship.”

Orton had decided to stay in Washington after being cut and joined a church. He says all he did was worship, work the front desk at a Holiday Inn and train. He also used all the negatives said about him — not fast enough, doesn’t catch the ball well enough with his hands, etc. — as motivation.

“I posted all the negative things that were said about me on my mirror in my apartment,” Orton said. “I worked hard every day to prove those people wrong. I didn’t even take a day off for my birthday, Christmas or any holiday.

“I did all that hoping for another crack at the NFL.”

And now that he has it, some in the organization can see him running with it and challenging for a spot on the roster this summer. Which would mean more chances to catch passes from Manning, a quarterback who appreciates a good route-runner when he sees one, even if he might not possess blazing speed.

“They saw that I was hungry,” Orton said. “They saw I had worked on my speed, explosion and gotten better. I wanted to be the best receiver on the scout team (last season).

“What helped me more than anything was going up against (All-Pro cornerback) Champ Bailey in practice. He’s a future hall-of-famer and it made me better. The coaches saw that.”