Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Omar Kelly says Cameron Wake should win award.
Miami Dolphins pass rusher Cameron Wake doesn’t score touchdowns, so don’t expect him to be a hot name when people discuss who deserves the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Wake doesn’t throw spirals like Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck, who only played in seven games last season because of a multitude of injuries.
He doesn’t steamroll defenders like Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell or Tennessee’s DeMarco Murray, who are getting into the end zone a year after having their seasons cut short by injuries.
And Wake, who has 9.5 sacks this season, doesn’t catch pretty touchdowns like Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson or Carolina’s Kelvin Benjamin, who both suffered season-ending knee injuries early in the 2015 season and have had impressive comebacks this year.
But Wake, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury nearly 14 months ago, is still one of the best players in the NFL when it comes to disrupting a team’s passing game.
“It would be nice,” said Wake, who is second in team history in career sacks (79.5), of winning comeback player of the year. “But I’m just focused on winning games and trying to do my job when it happens. That’s another one of those things for the offseason. Hopefully pats on the back [come] when everybody has done their job."
For Wake, 34, that means leading Miami to a winning season — which he’s never been a part of since joining the Dolphins in his rookie season in 2009 and maybe even the playoffs.
But to achieve those feats Miami’s defense needs to play better, especially on the defensive line considering that’s where the bulk of the unit’s talent resides.
A defensive line that features Wake, Ndamukong Suh and Mario Williams, three Pro Bowl talents, shouldn’t be one of the worst units in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run. But that’s what the Dolphins have been all season, ranking 30th in the league this week in rushing yards allowed per game (130.3) and yards per carry (4.7).
As impressive as Wake’s return has been, it’s hard to gain national attention if your opponents are running over your unit.
However, Wake is typically off the field on running downs since Miami uses him as a pass-rushing specialist, putting him in the game primarily on obvious passing plays.
The Dolphins have been conservative with Wake, limiting his snap count every game so he’s fresh late in the season.
With the Dolphins trying to make a push for the playoffs there is no better time to unleash Wake and let him play 40-plus snaps a game in Miami’s final three contests of the regular season.
Since Wake became a starter this season— and given the snaps that come with it — the Dolphins have won seven of eight games. Anyone who knows Wake’s background as a former Canadian Football League standout turned NFL star shouldn’t be surprised by his level of productivity.
“He’s a premier pass rusher,” said New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles, who coached Wake for the first three years of his NFL career in Miami. “He has such a low center of gravity, and is so explosive. People don’t realize how strong he is because he’s built like a Greek God.
“You have to know where he is at all times.”
Wake was a workout warrior all offseason, rehabbing an injury that a decade ago ended NFL careers. He worked hard to make sure he was back on the field in time for training camp, which he hoped would allow him to be a force during the season.
Well, he has been, and now it’s time for Miami’s coaches to allow him to lead the defensive line’s resurgence by letting him determine how much he plays and when he needs a break.
Maybe if Wake leads the Dolphins to the playoffs he’ll get the respect and recognition he deserves, and become the second defender to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in the past 15 years.