Does trading Cameron Wake make sense for Dolphins?

The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching, officially coming at 4pm ET on Tuesday. While the deadline is typically a boring time in the NFL, especially when compared to the build-up around the baseball and basketball trade deadlines. That does not stop there from being speculation on moves teams “should” make or rumors about possible trades.

This year, there have actually been a few moves already made, but nothing blockbuster. The speculation of “should” moves, when it comes to the Dolphins at least, could fall under that “blockbuster” scenario. For some reason, at least a few sites, including this article from NFL.com’s Around the NFL, say Miami should trade defensive end Cameron Wake.

Does moving Wake make sense for the Dolphins?

According to the NFL.com article, moving Wake would give the team “needed cap space as well as draft picks to help plug their many holes.” According to the article, the Dolphins could expect a fourth-round pick and a fifth- or sixth-round pick for Wake, who has proven over the last two games “he still has gas left in the tank (two sacks, four QB hits) and could play an important role as a situational pass rusher on a team poised to make a run. “ The likely landing positions for Wake if the Dolphins were willing to make the trade would be the Dallas Cowboys or the Atlanta Falcons according to the article.

The Dolphins are not in a desperate salary cap situation, even next year when quarterback Ryan Tannehill jumps up to a $20.3 million salary cap number and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is up to $19.1 million, Branden Albert is at $10.6 million, and Mario Williams is at $10.5 million. Wake would be a $7 million cap hit next year, with $3 million in dead money if he were to be cut. The 2017 season is the last one on Wake’s current contract. [Editor’s note: The original version of this article had the salary cap numbers listed incorrectly due to a mis-cut. The numbers listed above are correct.]

Miami does need some additional draft picks, but Wake is such a fan favorite and a face of the franchise, that it is difficult to imagine the team trading him. As the NFL.com article points out, the Dolphins did trade Jason Taylor, the only person to ever have more sacks as a Dolphins player than Wake, so it is not impossible a move for the team now, but the Dolphins defense appears to have finally rounded into shape for the 2016 season. Tearing it apart now by trading away Wake does not seem like a smart move.

Does it make sense to trade Wake, giving him a chance to play for a team in contention while giving Miami salary cap relief and additional draft choices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.