The Carolina Panthers will take the field for their final preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. The Panthers, under second-year head coach Dave Canales, have a lot of questions to answer coming off a disappointing 5-11 season last year.
Quarterback Bryce Young struggled at the beginning of last season and was benched after two games. He returned to his starting role after Andy Dalton was injured and finished strong. Can Young, who will be playing behind a solid O-line, find the consistency to make the Panthers' offense competitive?
Derrick Brown is returning after suffering a season-ending knee injury in week one last year. Without their elite run stopper, the Pathers were constantly gashed by opponents' rushing attacks. Can Brown return to his 2023 form and provide the help the Panthers' run defense desperately needs?
But the biggest question facing the Panthers in their quest to return to winning football is who will replace Justine Lindsay?
The NFL's First Openly Trans Cheerleader Resigns from Team https://t.co/cD1NVSXLCa
— Steve Ferguson (@lsferguson) August 21, 2025
Lindsay, the face of the NFL's virtue signaling efforts, has decided to take a super stroll and not return for his fourth season with the team. He twerked his way to gridiron glory, becoming the league's first transgender cheerleader.
Lindsey released a statement explaining why he's leaving the team so close to week one.
“For now, I’m focusing on my pageantry work and community involvement, striving to be recognized not just as an NFL cheerleader, but as someone making a positive impact, especially during these uncertain times,”
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He also took time from making NFL history to take a shot at President Trump on his way out the door.
“Being in the NFL was a stepping stone to get me where I need to be, and God is blessing me each and everyday giving me the breath to do the work and change lives. My focus is to educate and uplift the younger generation of leaders to focus on their dreams and goals. Don’t let a president who is delusional stop them from reaching their goals whether they are trans, African American, not American, etc.,” the. now former cheerleader added.
The irony of a dude posing as a woman, calling someone else delusional, is pretty rich. We're guessing self-awareness isn't Lindsey's strong suit.
Lindsey's departure has sent shockwaves across the league, but probably not the way Lindsey anticipated.
BREAKING: The NFL’s first transgender cheerleader has abruptly quit The Panthers just days before the start of the season
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 21, 2025
Bye Bye pic.twitter.com/YRJbUgUjFa
Good. No football fan wants to see this.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) August 21, 2025
Finally some good news today!
— Matt Crossette (@mattcrossette) August 21, 2025
The departure leaves a gaping, ah, void, yeah, void, on the Carolina sideline that needs to be filled. The Panthers are sure to be searching the free agent market for a replacement. We hear Amari Cooper is available, but he may not have the skill set to replace Lindsey.
If they can't land a big-name free agent, Carolina may be forced to give up some draft capital in the trade market.
New member added: pic.twitter.com/exB0dvGX69
— Emilia Henderson (@Emilia__writes) August 21, 2025
It's almost time for kickoff, and there are a lot of questions surrounding the Carolina Panthers this year. One thing's for sure: no matter how the TopCats cheerleading squad takes the field tonight, they'll be in a missing man formation.
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