Von Miller sits down with Hannah Storm to reflect on what went wrong for the Broncos and his relationship with former coach Gary Kubiak. (1:53)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- By his own description, Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller put up a “hell of a resume" in the 2016 season.

And while he didn’t win the league defensive player of the year award -- the Raiders' Khalil Mack did -- Miller did present a strong argument given what he was asked to do in the Broncos defense, what he accomplished and how much attention opposing offenses gave him.

But that doesn’t mean Broncos coach Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator Joe Woods or Miller himself believe he has reached a peak.

“Oh no, we think there’s more to come," said Joseph of the five-time Pro Bowl selection.

Von Miller went the last four games this season without making a sack. Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

Joseph isn’t the only one. Richard Smith, hired as a Chargers linebackers coach this week, said at the Super Bowl he believes Miller may not have had "anything close to his peak" season. Smith, who was the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator this season, was Miller’s linebackers coach with the Broncos from 2011 to 2014.

“Von’s just one of those freak athletes who can bend, snap back and play with power, all in the same rush, go from getting the corner to standing up and bull rushing a guy 100 pounds heavier," Smith said earlier this month. “But what he knows about the game is growing, how he plays and I think he’s grown up -- a lot, with more to come there. The way he thinks about the game is catching up to what he can do physically and he’s still at his peak physically."

When the Broncos missed the playoffs this season, the offense, especially the offensive line and running game, took most of the heat. The defense did finish No. 4 overall, No. 4 in scoring defense and No. 1 in pass defense.

But the 2016 Broncos defense never played with the same consistency as the 2015 defense did on the way to a Super Bowl win. There was also the matter of the run defense, which finished 28th in the league.

And while that’s the top item on the defense’s offseason to-do list, the Broncos must also examine how teams were able to keep Miller from adding items to his impact-play list down the stretch.

“It was a weird year," Miller said. “That’s what I call it -- weird. Weird in general and weird for me. I felt like if I made more plays like I want to make -- sacks, strip sacks, force some fumbles -- maybe we make the playoffs."

Miller was always job No. 1 for opposing offenses and, as a result, he faced an almost continuous string of double- and sometimes triple-teams in pass protection. Quarterbacks were also conscious of how long they held the ball when Miller was around.

But even Miller says he simply can’t go four consecutive games without a sack, which is exactly what happened in the Broncos' last four games of 2016. The Broncos went 1-3 in those games and the win was against the Oakland Raiders in the regular-season finale when quarterback Derek Carr didn’t play.

The Broncos need to get some of the attention off Miller if they can, even as Miller does a little more to raise his game. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who went to injured reserve and had back surgery before the regular-season finale, said he wasn’t himself because of his back injury. And while Shane Ray showed flashes of the pass-rusher he can be, three of Ray’s eight sacks during the season came in the Broncos’ Week 3 win in Cincinnati.

Ware, who said Joseph told him he wants him back for the 2017 season, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.

“We can do some things, tweak some things to put all our guys in the best situations we can," Woods said. “We’ve played elite level defense here the last two years. I’ve said the blueprint isn’t really going to change, but we can enhance some things, a new idea or two."

"Von's got more in there, to be one of those dominant guys," Ware said. "He's getting that consistency to go with all of the other things he has."

Miller turns 28 in March, and pass-rushers who stay healthy and perform at Miller's level -- he has at least 11 sacks in five of his six seasons -- have plenty of success well into their careers. Ware, for example, had 15.5 sacks in the season after he turned 28, 19.5 in the season after he turned 29 and 11.5 sacks in the season after he turned 30.

In 2014, his first year with the Broncos and when he turned 32, Ware had 10 sacks.

“I feel like I have my best football to come," Miller said. “I want to be the best Von I can be. I feel like I can make my workouts better, do more. ... But I’m always going to think that I wanted to make more plays to get us more wins. I put that on me and I want to do more."