​Pittsburgh Steelers cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Asante Samuel Jr. in a game against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 1, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers NowCLEVELAND — The Pittsburgh Steelers did not play well in any phase in a 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.Their second quarter, in particular, can probably be stacked up among the worst 15 minutes of football I’ve ever seen the team play. The Steelers let the Browns score 21 consecutive points, were out-gained 191-95, turned the ball over, and even missed a field goal on special teams as Cleveland what looked like a dominant early Pittsburgh performance into a rout the other way.There are lots of reasons that things went so poorly for the Steelers in the second quarter, and we’re going to talk more about them in a little bit.But first I want to talk about what happened before the games, and then what followed that disastrous second quarter.Just about 24 hours before the final whistle sounded, the Steelers traded star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2028 second-round draft pick. It’s a pocket change-like return for a player of his caliber, and one that probably won’t have much of an impact on the Steelers during the careers of most of the 53 players currently in the Pittsburgh locker room.Porter was a popular player in that locker room, and he enjoyed the support of those players through his protracted contract standoff with the team.“That’s CB1. King of the North,” Jaquan Brisker shouted during Porter’s final Pittsburgh press availability.Pittsburgh Steelers cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 8, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers NowAfter the game, cornerback Jalen Ramsey — probably Porter’s closest friend on the team — addressed the emotional impact of Porter being traded on the squad.“Obviously, Joey, that’s like my little homie,” Ramsey said. “Obviously, I would love nothing more that for Joey to be on this team, and not only be on this team, but feel valued and be an important part, which I felt like he really was. … It’s very unfortunate that it didn’t work out. But at the same time, I’m happy for him. I’m happy that he’s getting a fresh start. I hope to see him ball. All the success for him in his NFL future. …“I think the team handled it well. Everybody, truly, if you ask the guys, everybody loves Joey in here. Me and him hoped for as long as we could that things would get done and that things would get good for us. But that’s part of it. That’s business, right? Guys gotta do what’s best for them.”There was certainly a chance that trading away a popular player like Porter would upset some parts of the Steelers locker room and cause an impact on the way the team took the field on Thursday night.And even though Ramsey said what he said above, when the Browns roared out to that 21-3 lead, it looked like it might have.In addition to looking dysfu