Von Miller: Kirk Cousins Could Take Broncos over the Edge After Alex Smith Trade

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller believes longtime Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins could push the Broncos back into championship contention. The 'Skins reached an agreement Tuesday to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs, so Cousins will be looking for a new team.

Andrew Perloff of The Dan Patrick Show passed along comments the Super Bowl 50 MVP made about the impending free-agent QB on the program Wednesday.

"Kirk could take us over the edge," Miller said.

The Broncos are coming off a 5-11 campaign, their worst mark since 2010, with poor quarterback play a major reason for the struggles.

Denver used three different signal-callers during the course of the 2017 season—Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch—and none of them was able to find consistent success.

The lackluster triumvirate combined for a 73.0 passer rating (31st out of 32 in the NFL) with 19 touchdowns (25th) and 22 interceptions (31st).

By contrast, Cousins ranked 12th among qualified quarterbacks in passer rating (93.9) and yards per attempt (7.58) was ninth. He also finished the year with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

The question is whether the Broncos can make some moves to create additional cap space. Spotrac notes they are projected to enter the offseason with around $28.5 million available, which may be enough to pursue Cousins but little else.

That said, it's a great fit on the surface with a legitimate franchise quarterback joining an offense with two high-end weapons in wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

Add in the team's stout defense, which ranked third in yards allowed this past season, and Miller's comments are likely right on target. A QB upgrade puts the team right back in the title conversation.