Cam Wake drama? How about a trade for Chris Johnson?

True. However, they didn't trade Todd Lyght or Kevin Carter to get him. Had they been without either of those players, I don't think they win the Super Bowl either.

 

Minor nitpicks but Lawrence Timmons is an ILB and the Steelers have been rumored for years to willing to part ways with LaMarr Woodley rather than pay him on a long term contract. They franchised him for 2011, but I think those around the Steelers are pretty sure he's gone after 2011.

 

Let me put it this way. If the Titans came calling and offering Cam Wake for Chris Johnson straight up, I'd feel like a fool if I refused them outright.

Chris Johnson is a damn scary player. He can run inside or outside. He can break tackles. Defenses usually focus on and prioritize a ground game as a whole, not a particular runner. Individual NFL runners rarely "scare" defenses because most of them are inside pounders that will kill a defense slowly. Chris Johnson is a guy that can kill a defense quickly and all you have to do is fall asleep on him for a split second. One bad step and he could be off to the races, because of his speed and vision.

Yes I understand that runners don't have a long shelf life. But Chris Johnson will only be 26 years old this year, whereas Cameron Wake is 29 years old and will be 30 years old by the time this year's Super Bowl is played.

Straight up, I'm pretty sure I would trade Wake for Johnson. Cameron Wake is not quite as rare as some people think. Those shorter edge rushers with flexibility and explosiveness are popping up more often as more 3-4 defenses start popping up. That's not coincidental. You look across the league and you're seeing guys like Cameron Wake, Elvis Dumervil, Marcus Benard, Parys Haralson, Travis LaBoy, James Harrison...guys with humble beginnings coming out of the woodwork and having success as 3-4 OLBs. Hell you might even stick Matt Roth under that banner. My guess is just that the scheme is changing faster than NFL personnel tendencies...front offices are still having a tough time figuring out what the scheme changes do to the prototypes they should be looking for, the players they should be seeking. And so, you have guys slip through the cracks, not universally-loved.

I think Chris Johnson is a more rare football player than Cameron Wake, right now.

 

Completely agree with you MC. There is one exception. Marshall Faulk. He was the centerpiece of that Rams offense.

[EDIT] did not see the last few posts that already stated this. plus, I remembered wrong, thought Faulk was traded for 1st round pick, not 2nd + 5th.

 

I seriously doubt the combination of moving Misi and signing manny Lawson could wreak the kind of Havoc that Wake brings on every play. Plus, my worry, is that CJ2K has had almost 800 touches the last two seasons. At 190 lbs, maybe he can show the endurance of a Marshall Faulk or Emmitt Smith (20 and 30 lbs heavier, respectively) or maybe the 190 lb back might only have 1 or 2 years left with that kind of production.

Just have to weigh whether the risk is worth the reward. I'd much rather sign a good free agent RB and rely on D-Thomas than make a crazy trade that gets rid of our best defensive player.

 

So you guys are saying smaller trades have worked out, but the big ones don't? It's not just the player, it's the team they are going to. The trades don't happen in a vacuum.

I am not advocating this trade at all. However, if we had a dominant D with a good passing game, then a player like CJ can push you over the edge. If we had more depth and Wake is looking for a big contract, sure I'd look at it. But we're not, so we keep what we have, and try to add more pieces.

If CJ goes on to have 5 more stellar years but CW only 2 or 3, should have you made the deal?

 

I'm not sure I would do the trade, because keeping Wake around without giving him a new contract will be a lot easier than CJ. However, I think CJ is a much better player at his position than Wake. There are a lot of different things to consider when looking at a trade like this, but if push came to shove, I would probably decline.

 

It really comes down to how much they are making in those years.

 

CJ is a good running back but is our defense good enough to be taking away valuable pieces? Wake has proven to be an impact player and is still young enough to have more productive seasons and to improve. Its JMO, but Miami would be foolish to let him go trade or not. I thought Miami was looking for someone to suppliment Wakes pass rushing skills not to try and replace him?

 

And so could Chris Johnson.

 

Well, you brought up injuries. Ohio Fanatic mentioned endurance, not durability. As in, how long can a RB the size of CJ, who has been a workhorse, hold up before his skills start diminishing from the overwork. Not getting a specific injury, but just wearing down.

 

I don't know that the rest of the NFL values Wake quite that high, Pads...JMHO, but CJ is THE premier RB in the league. They'd want an awful lot for him. Wake has had a decent breakout season but is still a 29 yr old one-year-wonder at this point. Additionally, I don't know what D Munchak and Gray will run. I don't see Wake as explosive as a 4-3 OLB as he has shown as a 3-4 OLB and he is probably even a little small for a 4-3 DE...

At any rate, while they may be getting a starter for a starter and a higher round draft pick...I just don't see them letting CJ go...

 

Trade Wake? For a running back?

Rafael already spelled out why this is a bad idea. But I'd like to take that one step further and label this a terrible idea. In a division with the player-appointed best player in the NFL, along with two up and coming QBs, we need every pass rusher we can field.

By virtue of the position he plays, Chris Johnson cannot impact the game the way a QB or QB disrupter can. Trading Wake for two players who will never carry a team to a Lombardi--Johnson and Young--is the height of folly. We're in AJ Feeley land here with this trade scenario.

Thankfully, it's just a scenario, not an actual proposal or option.


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The only way Tenn is trading CJ would be if they found some sucker willing to do a Dickerson or Walker type of deal. No one can name a single feature back in their prime that was acquired in a blockbuster mega deal that help the team trading for him in any appreciable way.
No, they won't trade him for a Faulk 2 + 5 kind of deal. If someone were to offer that, the Titans would laugh like Hans Landa did, when Bridget Von Hammersmark told him she broke her ankle mountain climbing.