SpringfieldNewsSun.com

BEREA — If Jerrid Gaines makes it, he will credit his upbringing.

State Street on Springfield's south side (now Johnny Lytle Avenue) wasn't exactly a sylvan retreat, but he managed to stay out of trouble, mainly by sticking with sports.

"It was like a rough area. Not real rough, but it prepared you for football, basically," Gaines said Saturday, May 3, after a Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp practice.

There were family problems, too. His parents split up, and his mom, Sherry Gaines, had to enter a drug-treatment program. Jerrid, then a sophomore in high school, lived with his grandmother during that difficult time.

"There was stuff around me that wasn't always positive, but sports kept me motivated," Gaines said. "There were some good friendships, too, and people who really cared about you."

A two-year starting cornerback at Miami University, Gaines wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and went undrafted. But he has a contract now, and that should at least get him to training camp.

While starring at Springfield South High School, Gaines first caught the eye of Mel Tucker, then a coach at Ohio State. Tucker, now the Browns' defensive coordinator, remembered Gaines last weekend after the draft when it came time to sift through the leftovers.

The Browns are searching for depth at cornerback after starter Leigh Bodden, their most experienced at the position, went to Detroit in the trade for defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. This is evident at minicamp, where Gaines is one of 20 defensive backs.

Asked for a general assessment of the DBs on hand, Browns head coach Romeo Crennel mentioned one by name (Darnell Terrell), another by number (Milvon James), but made no reference to Gaines. What that means, who knows?

"All I can ask for is a chance to compete for a spot," Gaines said. "I expected to be drafted in the later rounds, but when I wasn't, I knew I would just have to go somewhere and prove myself."

His dad, Wentford Gaines, played five years in the NFL for the Steelers and Bears in the late '70s, so he has someone to talk to who's been there.

"I talk to my dad every day about football," Jerrid said. "He says there's an opportunity for me here and to just keep competing and improving. I used to hear all the stories of when my dad played corner. This has always been my dream."

Sherry Gaines, by the way, is doing fine now.

"My senior year (of high school), she got out of rehab, and everything's good," Jerrid said. "You couldn't ask for a better mother. She's always there for me now. I talked to her (Friday) night. She's excited for me, but I told her it's still early."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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