 Wake with theMiami Dolphins in 2014 | |||||||||||||
| No. 91 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | Defensive end,linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1982-01-30)January 30, 1982 (age 43) Beltsville, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 263 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | DeMatha Catholic(Hyattsville, Maryland) | ||||||||||||
| College | Penn State (2000–2004) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2005: undrafted | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Derek Cameron Wake (born January 30, 1982) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive end andlinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL) andCanadian Football League (CFL). He playedcollege football forPenn State Nittany Lions, and was signed by theNew York Giants as anundrafted free agent in 2005.
Wake has also played for the CFL'sBC Lions, earning the league'sMost Outstanding Rookie Award in 2007. He recorded 39sacks over his first two seasons in the CFL, earning Western Division All-Star honors as well as theMost Outstanding Defensive Player Award both years.
In 2009, Wake signed with theMiami Dolphins and remained with the team until 2019, when he signed with theTennessee Titans. Throughout his career, Wake has established himself as one of the premier edge rushers in the NFL. He has been selected to fivePro Bowls (four at defensive end, one at outside linebacker), and is a four-time first or second-teamAll-Pro. His 98 sacks with the Dolphins rank him second all-time in club history toPro Football Hall of FamerJason Taylor's 131 sacks, and his 100.5 career sacks also rank second all-time as an undrafted free agent behindJohn Randle's 137.5.
Born inBeltsville, Maryland, Wake grew up in thesuburbanWashington, D.C. area and attendedDeMatha High School inHyattsville, Maryland.[1] He playedhigh school football for the Stags during his time there.[2] During his senior season of 1999, Wake was namedThe Washington Post Defensive Player of the Year.[3]
Following high school, Wake received an athletic scholarship to attendPennsylvania State University, where he played for thePenn State Nittany Lions football team.[4] He played mainly as alinebacker for the Nittany Lions, but also playeddefensive end. Wake finished his collegiate career with 191 totaltackles, 8.5quarterback sacks, and 24 tackles for a loss.[citation needed]
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) | 236 lb (107 kg) | 4.67 s | 1.68 s | 2.74 s | 4.11 s | 7.12 s | 45.5 in (1.16 m) | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) | 20 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[5][6] | ||||||||||||
Prior to the2005 NFL draft, Wake worked out at Penn State's Pro Day and ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash.[7]
Following his college career, Wake joined theNew York Giants in April 2005 but was released in June.[8]
Wake signed a free agent contract with theBC Lions of theCanadian Football League in May2007. Switching from linebacker to defensive end, a rejuvenated Wake had an immediate impact with the team, and was named the Defensive Player of the Week for the first week of the2007 CFL season after an impressive debut (7 tackles, 3 quarterback sacks) in a 24–22Lions' victory over theToronto Argonauts.[9]
Wake finished the2007 season with a league-best 16sacks and had the only blocked field goal in the CFL that season.[10] He racked up 72tackles on his way to becoming the first player in CFL history to be namedRookie of the Year andDefensive Player of the Year in the same season.[11]
In 2008, Wake once again led the CFL in sacks (with 23) on his way to another CFL All-Star team selection, a second consecutiveNorm Fieldgate Trophy, and he was a unanimous nomination for the CFL's 2008Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.[12] In 2008, Wake was also namedTSN'sFriday Night Gladiator of the Year, the first defensive player to win the award.[13]
He was named toThe Washington Examiner's CFL All-Decade Team for 2000–2009.[14]
"I wanted to eliminate all the fluff. It wasn't about whoever offered the biggest deal. It was about the coaching staffs, the opportunity, the organizations. Miami put themselves above the others in those things."
At the end of the2008 CFL season, Wake drew interest from several NFL teams, including theMiami Dolphins,St. Louis Rams,New Orleans Saints,Buffalo Bills andMinnesota Vikings. He worked out for the Dolphins on January 15, 2009.[16]
After receiving interest from 17 total NFL teams and working out for eight, Wake signed with the Dolphins on January 18, 2009.[7] The four-year deal included a $1 million signing bonus and had a potential value of $4.9 million.[7]Wake started the first game of his NFL career during the 2009 season against the Bills in Week 4 and responded with two sacks, four tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble.[17]
During the 2010 season, Wake had a memorable Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. He had three sacks, including one on third down in overtime, bringing his total to six sacks in five games, already surpassing his total the previous year of 5½ sacks with limited playing time. He ended a game against the Jets with a sack on quarterbackMark Sanchez completing his second of the game. Wake would lead the NFL in sacks at one point and eventually finish third in the NFL (second in the AFC) in sacks. By the end of the season, Wake had recorded 14 sacks, 57 tackles, and three forced fumbles.[18]
Wake was named a starter for the 2011 AFC Pro Bowl team at outside linebacker.[19] Wake was also named to TheSporting News 2010 All-Pro Team and AP's Second All-Pro team.[20] He was 3rd in the league with 52 quarterback pressures, behind onlyChris Long andJulius Peppers. He was ranked 63rd by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[21]
On May 5, 2012, Wake signed a four-year contract extension with the Dolphins reported to be worth a total of $49 million, $20 million of which was guaranteed.[22]
After being moved from outside linebacker to defensive end for the 2012 season, Wake had arguably his best season in the NFL. He totaled 53 tackles and 15 sacks, including 4.5 sacks in one game against theArizona Cardinals. That season, Wake was named a starter for thePro Bowl for the second time and, together withRandy Starks, became the first of two Dolphins to make the Pro Bowl at two different positions. He was also named a First-team All-Pro by both the AP and the PFWA for the first time in his career.
Wake earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against theCincinnati Bengals in Week 9 of the2013 season, racking up five tackles, three sacks, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and a safety in the Dolphins’ 22–20overtime victory.[23] Wake sacked Bengals quarterbackAndy Dalton in overtime for a safety to end the game, giving the Dolphins a 22–20 victory. It was only the third game in NFL history to end with an overtime safety.[24] He ended the season with 8.5 sacks and another Pro Bowl selection.[25][26]
After an unproductive start to the 2015 season, in which the Dolphins were 1–3 and Wake had one tackle, head coachJoe Philbin was fired and replaced with tight ends coachDan Campbell. Wake returned to his dominant form, recording six sacks and four forced fumbles in a two-week span, which were both wins against the Titans and Texans. In a game against the Patriots, Wake notched his seventh sack, which put him in second place on the NFL leaderboard, but he was also injured and carried off the field on a later play. On October 30, 2015, NFL InsiderIan Rapoport reported, due to an Achilles injury, that Wake was out for the rest of the2015 NFL season.[27]
Wake had a bounce-back season in 2016 after the Achilles injury in 2015. On December 17, 2016, Wake got his first career interception by picking off Jets quarterbackBryce Petty. He finished the season with 11.5 sacks, was named to his fifth Pro Bowl and was second-team All-Pro.[28] He was also ranked 62nd on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[29]
On February 18, 2017, Wake signed a two-year contract extension with the Dolphins through the 2018 season, worth up to $18 million.[30][31]
In the 2017 season, Wake started all 16 games, recording 36 combined tackles and 10.5 sacks.[32] He was ranked 74th by his peers on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[33]
In the 2018 season, Wake appeared in and started 14 games. He finished with 6.5 sacks, 36 total tackles, one pass defended, and one forced fumble.[34]
On March 13, 2019, Wake signed a three-year, $23 million contract with theTennessee Titans.[35]
In the season-opener against theCleveland Browns, Wake sackedBaker Mayfield 2.5 times, putting him in the100 sacks club.[36] One of his sacks resulted in a safety and his effort helped lead the Titans to a 43–13 win.[37] He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[38] On November 26, 2019, Wake was placed on injured reserve.[39] He played in nine games in the 2019 season.[40]
On March 12, 2020, Wake was released by the Titans.[41]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2007 | BC | 18 | 18 | 72 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | BC | 18 | 18 | 65 | 23.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 45 | 1 |
| Total | 36 | 36 | 137 | 39.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 45 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | ||
| 2009 | MIA | 14 | 1 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 5.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | MIA | 16 | 16 | 57 | 48 | 9 | 14.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | MIA | 16 | 14 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 8.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | MIA | 16 | 16 | 53 | 38 | 15 | 15.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | MIA | 15 | 15 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | MIA | 16 | 16 | 38 | 32 | 6 | 11.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | MIA | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | MIA | 16 | 11 | 29 | 22 | 7 | 11.5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | MIA | 16 | 16 | 36 | 28 | 10 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | MIA | 14 | 14 | 36 | 21 | 15 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | TEN | 9 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 155 | 126 | 364 | 282 | 82 | 100.5 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 0 | |
Media related toCameron Wake at Wikimedia Commons