If anyone knows it’s not easy making it in the NFL, it is Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake.
The former undrafted player out of Penn State had a few unsuccessful tryouts in the NFL after college. He found himself out of football before going to Canada to jumpstart his career in the CFL. After winning Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row, NFL teams came calling and the rest is history.
With fellow defensive end Michael Sam making national headlines for his decision to go to the CFL to try to boost his playing career, Wake is living proof that playing in Canada can be a bridge to the NFL.
“I think it’s a good move for anybody if you get an opportunity. I loved it in my time there,” Wake said this offseason. “It was an opportunity to get out there and play. If you have the desire to get back [to the NFL], teams kind of grab those guys. To get out there and play the game just for the love of the game was a great opportunity for me.
“My path, I wouldn’t change it for the world. You have first-round picks and all that. But my path is my path and that made me what I am today.”
Wake signed with the Dolphins in 2009 and has gone on to become a four-time Pro Bowl selection and one of the team’s best players of the past decade. Wake still credits the CFL for providing the needed reps and development.
Sam’s CFL journey got off to a rocky start after the left the team for personal reasons. But Sam reportedly will return to the Montreal Alouettes this week to continue his football journey.
As Wake proved early in his career, if Sam is a dominant player in Canada, that could generate interest from NFL teams.
“There are so many things in football that are just football. I don’t care if it’s CFL, NFL, XFL, Arena [League], whatever,” Wake explained. “Rushing the passer is rushing the passer. Catching the ball is catching the ball. Tackling is tackling, no matter what the auxiliary rules are. If you can beat somebody and manhandle a guard, you can do that anywhere. So just getting up there and being able to show what you can do and put your resume on field, the rest will take care of itself.”
