Cameron Wake to Cowboys? Only at a very, very steep price

Cameron Wake is at practice today and not on the trade block, as far as we can know. (The Dolphins, you see, do not tell us).

But in the, ahem, wake of a report from Sirius NFL radio that the Dallas Cowboys have interest in trading for the Dolphins defensive end, this requires addressing:

Everyone is for sale.

Everyone is available for a price.

I am not saying the Dolphins are interested in trading Cameron Wake. Neither is Sirius, for that matter. And obviously we’ll know by the 4 p.m. trade deadline if this happens.

My guess is it will not.

Why?

One reason is because the Dolphins think they have a chance to turn this season into something meaningful. And trading Cameron Wake would lessen those possibilities. Reason two is because trading a player, particularly one as respected as Wake, sends a message to the entire team and, indeed, to fans.

The message is the future is more important than the present -- which is fine if you’re the New England Patriots and 7-1 and you can trade anyone and still win. But the Dolphins aren’t the Patriots. They’re not built like that. They can’t survive that kind of trade with hopes of continuing on a current hot streak.

Thirdly, there’s that issue of compensation. Yes, the Dolphins would trade Wake in a heartbeat for a first round pick. They might even think about doing it for a second round pick. But who are we kidding?

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t giving a first- or second-round pick for a 34-year-old defensive end. No matter how gifted he is and how close to challenging for a Super Bowl they think they are.

(One can hope Jerry Jones would be this crazy. Then it might happen. But Jerry Jones is a sly fox. Not a crazy mule).

So this likely does not happen.

As long as the Cowboys don’t get crazy.

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Cameron Wake to Cowboys? Only at a very, very steep price."