Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has revealed that he taunted the Houston Texans' DJ Swearinger because of his concern over teammate Wes Welker in their pre-season clash.

Welker was forced to leave the field with an apparent concussion after taking a hit from Swearinger, and Manning was quick to voice his displeasure with the safety after throwing a touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders.

The action resulted in a 15-yard penalty, but the 38-year-old admitted he wasn't that bothered about the sanction.

"I guess so. I'm obviously concerned about Wes and never like seeing him come out of the game with a potential blow to the head," Manning told the Denver Post.

"He had one of those last year that kept him out a while. Fifteen yards with five seconds left in the half—it can't hurt you that much, right?"

Welker missed three games last season due to suffering from a concussion.