Dolphins lose Cameron Wake for the season to torn Achilles

The Dolphins signed Ndamukong Suh to a hefty contract during the off-season and now need him to start pulling his weight after losing fellow defensive end Cameron Wake to a torn Achilles.

Wake suffered the tear to his left Achilles during the third quarter of Miami’s 36-7 loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday and had to be carted off the field. NFL.com confirmed the severity of the injury Friday morning.

“If you lost a guy like Cam, it would hurt,” Dolphins interim Coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “Not only is he a leader, but he’s a very productive player.”

Wake, 33, has seven of the Dolphins’ 13 sacks this season. Ware’s sacks all came in the last three games; his production until recently had been limited by a hamstring injury.

An All-Pro in 2012, Wake has been named to the Pro Bowl in four of his previous six seasons.

Suh will now be under even greater pressure to disrupt plays for the weakened Dolphins defense after signing a six-year, $114-million deal that made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

Suh, who has been an All-Pro in each of his four NFL seasons, has 19 tackles with two sacks and four defensed passes.

Suh, 28, had been among the best run-stoppers in the league with the Detroit Lions, but thus far the Dolphins have surrendered the eighth-most yards on the ground.

The Dolphins (3-4) have 10 days to prepare for the Buffalo Bills (3-4) on Oct. 8.

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme