Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said on Sunday that second-year linebacker Chris Gocong is currently No. 1 on the depth chart on the strongside. On Monday, the Eagles released veteran linebacker Dhani Jones.

Jones, originally a sixth-round pick of the Giants in 2000, was signed by the Eagles as an unrestricted free agent in 2004 and started in 47 regular season games over the past three seasons. In his three-year stint, Jones had 288 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. But the Eagles wanted more production from the position, so they drafted Gocong out of Cal-Poly in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Chris Gocong is the starting strongside linebacker

A defensive end in college, Gocong's size (6-foot-2, 263 pounds) and big-play ability (Division 1-AA single-season record 23.5 sacks in 2005) was enticing enough to the Eagles to draft him and move him over to linebacker. Gocong missed this past season with a stinger injury, but the Eagles' desire to utilize bigger linebackers at the strongside spot (Jones is 6-foot-1, 240 pounds) was evident. For the second-straight season they used a third-round pick on a big linebacker, this time it was Nebraska's Stewart Bradley (6-foot-3, 254 pounds).

"We've got pretty good tight ends in this division here, so I think it's important that you cover those players in the pass game, and at the same time, be able to line up on their nose, and be able to sustain the line of scrimmage," said head coach Andy Reid on Saturday night after Bradley was drafted. "Stewart is a true SAM linebacker that can play MIKE and does a nice job over the tight end and will be a nice complement to our linebackers."

The Eagles have changed the look at the linebacker position through the draft and trades in the past 12 months. On the weakside, the Eagles traded for Takeo Spikes in March who will enter the post-draft mini-camp as the starter. He will be backed up by 2006 draft pick Omar Gaither, who was the starter at the end of last season, and 2005 draft pick Matt McCoy. In the middle, Gaither will back up veteran Jeremiah Trotter. And on the strongside, Gocong, Bradley and 2006 rookie free agent Tank Daniels will mix it up for the No. 1 spot.

The Eagles defense will have a very different look in two weeks when the players assemble at the NovaCare Complex, especially at the linebacker spot, with plenty of battles featuring a mix of young, fresh players and Pro Bowl veterans.