There was a time when the Miami Dolphins had some of the best edge rushers in the NFL. That hasn't been the case for a while now, not since Cameron Wake left the team.
Fans can remember Trace Armstrong handing the torch to Jason Taylor, who in turn handed it to Wake. For all the expectations put on Jaelan Phillips, he never reached that level of consistency or greatness. Injuries played a big part in that.
Normally, Wake wouldn't land on many top lists unless it was a Dolphins-centric one, but he just earned some major recognition. According to Nick Villano of FanSided, Wake is the best NFL player to ever come out of the state of Maryland.
Miami Dolphins former DE Cameron Wake named best player from Maryland to play in the NFL
Wake may have been the best free agent "acorn" of Jeff Ireland's entire general manager career. Ireland brought him to Miami from the Canadian Football League. From 2009 to 2018, Wake was one of the most consistent and dominant edge rushers in the league.
His toughness was never questioned. During one game, he suffered an Achilles' tear but finished the play. Wake would play one more season with the Titans, but he never formally retired from the NFL.
Wake is the only Dolphins player listed on Villano's list of "The Greatest Player from Every State." Tyreek Hill was named the best from the state of Georgia, but most people associate his NFL success with the Chiefs. Ndamukong Suh got a nod as well, but he too played most of his career elsewhere. Wake played most of his career with Miami.
The problem Dolphins fans have is that Larry Csonka proved to be one of the best from the state of Ohio, and he isn't mentioned at all. Sorry, but this one I can't agree with.
The last one is quite debatable. Pennsylvania has given the NFL some of the best players in the league's history. Villano gives the nod to Aaron Donald, and that's hard to argue with, but not mentioning Dan Marino and some of the other HOF players that are from the state is more than an oversight.
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