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 have to be at the regular-season limit of 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

But 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 the 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 the cuts to 53 on Tuesday are out for the season unless they negotiate an injury settlement with the team.

Q: What about the guys on the NFI and PUP lists?

A: Players who are on the active NFI (non-football injury, for things that happen before the start of 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 the 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 the NFI and PUP lists do not count toward that number.

Q: How do waiver claims work, and where are the 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, the claim order changes to reflect the teams' current standings.

The Panthers can claim any player who was waived by another team prior to Wednesday at noon. At noon on Wednesday, waiver claims will be awarded to their new teams, though since the Panthers have first dibs, they effectively get anyone they want from the discard pile.

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

Q: Can the Panthers claim unlimited players?

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

Q: When is the practice squad established?

A: Teams can sign 16 players to their practice squad on Wednesday at 1 p.m. They can also add a player with an international exemption to their practice squad without counting against the limit.

Q: Who is eligible to be on the practice squad?

A: Teams can now keep up to six veterans on the practice squad, with the rest made up of younger players.