Former Cal Poly defensive standout Chris Gocong’s attempted return to professional football lasted only three days. The 29-year-old linebacker appeared in Philadelphia on May 10 for the first day of rookie tryouts with the Eagles, surprising local sportswriters. However, when the three-day camp ended, the Eagles chose not to sign him.
Though unsuccessful, Gocong’s bid to try a comeback with Philadelphia made sense. The Eagles selected him in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft after Gocong set an NCAA Division I-AA sacks record with Cal Poly and won the 2005 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best defensive player in college football’s second tier.
Gocong won but struggled to maintain a starting job with the Eagles and later the Browns, after Philadelphia shipped him to Cleveland in a 2010 cap clearing trade. A season-ending 2012 Achilles injury derailed Gocong’s tenuous professional career. The Browns released him April 2.
This article appears in May 16-23, 2013.