South Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — Dave Canales described this as one of the most difficult times of a coach's year. He was talking about the human emotions of the process, but there's also a lot of paperwork to do in the coming days.

The Panthers have had a full 90-man roster (plus an international exemption) for the bulk of the offseason but have to reduce that by more than 40 percent in the next 24 hours or so. Teams must be at the regular-season limit of 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

However, that's just part of the math. A lot is going to happen between now and the start of the regular season, so here's a look at some questions about what comes next.

Q: What's the difference between waived and released?

A: Players with fewer than four years of service in the league are subject to waivers, meaning teams have the chance to claim their existing contracts. Players with four years of service or more immediately become free agents and can sign with any team.

Q: What happens to players who are injured?

A: In a new rule for this year, teams can place two players on injured reserve on cut day, who can return to the team after sitting out a minimum of four weeks. In the past, teams had to carry players through cuts to 53 before placing them on IR with the ability to return. This could apply to players who suffered injuries during camp and are expected to miss significant time.

Players placed on injured reserve prior to cuts to 53 on Tuesday are out for the season unless they negotiate an injury settlement with the team.

Q: What about guys on NFI and PUP lists?

A: Players who are on active NFI (non-football injury, for things that happen before their NFL careers or outside normal football activity) and PUP (physically unable to perform) lists can be transferred to reserve/NFI or PUP. As with injured reserve, that rules them out for a minimum of four weeks but then could be activated at any time.

This applies to rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (NFI), and outside linebackers D.J. Wonnum and Amaré Barno (PUP). Players who have been activated from PUP in preseason, like backup tackle Yosh Nijman, can't go back on PUP to start the regular season.

Q: How many players can return from injured reserve over the course of the season?

A: Up to eight players can be designated to return from IR. If two players from Tuesday's transactions come back at some point during the season, that would leave six more players who could return from IR. The players on NFI and PUP lists do not count toward that number.

Q: How do waiver claims work, and where are Panthers in order?

A: The Panthers are first in waiver claim order until Week 4 based on last year's record. On Tuesday of Week 4, claim order changes reflect teams' current standings.

The Panthers can claim any player waived by another team before Wednesday at noon. At noon Wednesday, waiver claims will be awarded; since Panthers have first dibs, they effectively get anyone they want from discard pile.

For every player claimed off waivers, Panthers have an hour to release or waive another one upon being awarded a new one.

Q: Can Panthers claim unlimited players?

A: Since they have first spot in claim order, Panthers can claim as many as they want; there's no limit. This is not like your fantasy league where every team gets a turn before it comes back around; if Panthers want two or three or much larger number, they can.

Q: When is practice squad established?

A: Teams can sign 16 players to their practice squad Wednesday at 1 p.m., also adding a player with international exemption without counting against limit.

Q: Who is eligible for practice squad?

A: Teams can now keep up six veterans on practice squad; rest made up younger players.