Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Wake selected 74th on NFL Top 100 list
Dolphins defensive end Cam Wake, a four-time All Pro, was selected No. 74 on NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2018, which was announced Monday night. It was Wake’s sixth appearance on the annual Top 100 list, which began in 2011.
Wake, the 36-year-old, nine-year veteran, is the first Dolphins player to appear on the 2018 list, which counts down the current top 100 players as voted on by players.
The only other Dolphins player who seems likely to appear on the Top 100 list is Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones.
In past years Miami had wide receiver Jarvis Landry, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, center Mike Pouncey, running back Jay Ajayi, cornerback Brent Grimes, offensive tackle Jake Long, tight end Charles Clay and wide receiver Brandon Marshall, in addition to Wake and Jones, on the list.
Wake had 10.5 sacks last year while making 16 starts for the fourth time in his career and first time in the last three years. And he showed improvement in his run defense.
That followed Wake posting 11.5 sacks in 2016, meaning he had had double-digit sacks in the two seasons since his return from the Achilles injury that reduced his 2015 season to seven games.
Wake, the five-time Pro Bowl selection, is being counted on to again lead Miami’s pass rush, which amassed just 30 sacks last year, tied for 26th in the NFL.
Wake has 92 career sacks, No. 2 in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Jason Taylor (131 sacks with Dolphins).
Miami has put pass rushers such as defensive ends Robert Quinn, Andre Branch and Charles Harris around Wake in hopes someone can consistently feed off the attention he draws.