CHARLOTTE — This is a different kind of week for Panthers linebacker Claudin Cherelus and cornerback D'Shawn Jamison.

A year ago today, they were both members of other rosters on opposite sides of the country, Cherelus with the Jets and Jamison with the 49ers. Then, in an instant, they became newfound friends and Panthers teammates, with no say in the matter and only minutes to get enough stuff together for a new start on their professional lives.

That meant leaving a lot of stuff behind in a hurry, both team allegiances and also a lot of shoes and clothing and other worldly possessions. And that meant finding their way around a new place, beginning with the nearest H&M to buy a bunch of white T-shirts.

So, as they go into the cut-down day a year later, they've got a new appreciation for things because they've seen first-hand how rapidly things can change — things as basic as your employer and your address.

"Everything just happened so quick," Jamison recalled. "At first, I had people saying that I was staying there on the team, and then that happened, of course. Then, less than 24 hours later, I searched my name on Twitter, and it said that I got picked up by the Carolina Panthers. Nobody knew. The internet knew first, and then I knew."

That's not ideal, of course, but it can happen just like that. Cherelus and Jamison were two of the three players the Panthers claimed the day after initial cuts to 53 (guard Calvin Throckmorton was the other, and he started some games before he was released midseason). The Panthers are expected to be active in that market again this week.

They've picked up a lot of contributors on waivers in the past, from players such as running back Anthony Johnson and defensive tackle Tim Morabito in the early years, a future Super Bowl starter in cornerback Reggie Howard, return man Rod Smart, and guys including running back Mike Davis, cornerback Rasul Douglas, and starting guard Michael Jordan (who once scored a touchdown in New Orleans) in more recent years. They claimed special teamer Michael Bates off waivers in 1995 but immediately traded him to Cleveland, and then he came back the following year as a free agent and made five Pro Bowls. So you can find good help in that market.

Players with fewer than four years of service time are subject to waivers and being hired by another team at a moment's notice. These are usually young players with promise, who might have gone into the process thinking something else might be in their future, only to have to adjust in a hurry.

For Cherelus, who was an undrafted rookie from Alcorn State, there was an unusual sense of calm. It's not that he thought he was a lock to make the Jets roster, but he at least figured he'd hang around New York and be on the practice squad of a team that knew him.

"My agent, he had told me that it was most likely that I was going to get claimed but, you never know what with these things," Cherelus said. "So, he was telling me there were teams expressing interest, but my mindset was that I was going to be a practice squad player for the Jets in two days.

"That didn't happen, obviously, and I'm blessed for that. But it was just a whole lot, it was a lot to take in in the moment."

Cherelus said he was actually sitting in the Jets facility, about to sign his practice squad contract, when he got a tap on the shoulder.

"I was in the meeting room, probably five minutes in," he said. "It was me and a couple of the guys, and they were like, Claudin, come with me, bring your stuff; you're going to Carolina. And my mind kind of froze. It was like, blank. I was like, I don't know what to think, I didn't speak to anyone pre-draft from Carolina. So I was just in shock."

At the time he was claimed, many people assumed Cherelus had done something to impress the Panthers front office during the joint practice in Spartanburg last August. But he actually didn't participate in that workout at all, as he recovered from a mild hamstring injury the week before.

The Panthers were just relying on tape, and their pre-draft work on the big linebacker. So they knew more than he did that they liked him a certain amount and thought he could help.

Likewise, with Jamison, there wasn't a lot of reason to think when he woke up that morning in his apartment near the 49ers facility, he'd be getting a ride to the airport that night. But the Panthers liked what they saw of the scrappy cornerback with return ability, so they felt like he was worth a shot.

"Then I'm making calls and stuff, I'm like, yo, I just got picked up by the Panthers," Jamison said. "And that's when I got a call later that night, and I had to fly out. And that night, I was on a plane."

Since he was on the West Coast at the time, Jamison had the benefit of a few extra hours to pack. Cherelus was in more of a hurry; he didn't even have time to call his mom before he went to the airport bound for Charlotte-Douglas International, and it showed when he unpacked his luggage.

"It was crazy, they told me to bring everything I could pack and they'll ship everything else," Cherelus recalled of the moments as he was gathering up things from the Jets facility. "I actually lost a big trash bag full of clothes and shoes, so I'm still kind of mad about that.

"But it was just crazy. I couldn't get to call my mom until I landed here that night, and in the morning, I was practicing with them. So it was just weird. Two days ago, I was practicing with the Jets, and now I'm practicing with the Panthers."

To get to that point, a lot of stuff has to happen in a short amount of time.

When the personnel department decides they want you, a lot of non-football personnel in the building get to work in a hurry. Someone in the pro scouting department will generally make the first contact (unless Twitter beats them to the punch) and set up a plane ticket to Charlotte. Then scouting coordinates with football operations to get a guy a hotel room near the stadium for his first few nights.

While that's happening, equipment manager Don Toner is on the phone with his counterpart from the previous team, making a list of sizes and preferences so that when the new Panther lands, he can get straight to practice in new colors.

But there are a lot of other details to work through, and vice president of player affairs Kevin Winston and his staff jump in to make sure guys are comfortable.

"It's just getting guys used to new settings just making sure the transition is good," Winston said. "If they've got family members, make sure we take care of that piece, what their immediate needs are. Really, just giving them a chance to get settled and get acclimated with new teammates, see if they have any teammates that they know from moving around the league, but for the most part, just listening and seeing what their needs are and just trying to meet them, right?"

Winston and his staff help with things as mundane as helping a guy find a place to live, pointing him toward good schools if he has children coming along, working with guys to get cars shipped here. (Jamison was fortunate; he didn't take his car to California when he was with the 49ers and had it shipped here after he settled in. It was a lot cheaper that way.) It's a lot to process at once, so Winston tries to keep little things off their plates so they can concentrate on the big thing, which is learning a new system so they can help a new football team.

"It's the opportunity, right?" Winston said. "You're picked up by a club; you got the opportunity. So just helping them get acclimated so they can really focus on the task at hand, which is the job."

Winston laughed and said players who come in on short notice get to know Toner and his staff really well because having a stash of team-logo clothing is one way to make it easier if you lose a bag of your own clothes in the move. A team cafeteria that serves three meals a day during the season is also a perk. And then, Winston walks players through his playbook for their transitions.

"I think the equipment guys become really good friends, right?" he said. "So you get some gear from the equipment guys, and that's when we go in and say, OK, what are your immediate needs and how can we assist? And most guys are appreciative of that because we see it and we are part of the process that we can help them think sometimes about things that they haven't even thought of yet."

For Cherelus, the clothing part was the first hurdle to clear. After wearing nothing but team-issued sweats and T-shirts for the first few days while his head was spinning, he and Jamison eventually ventured out into the wilds of Charlotte to acquire some clothing of their own.

"I was pretty much in gear for the first few weeks," Cherelus said. "I had some clothes, but I had to go buy a lot of clothes. I was really wearing Panthers gear for the most part.

"I wore a lot of white tees. Like, I probably have over 80, close to 100 white T-shirts. I was just buying the multi-packs because it was so easy, and you can just throw on a white T and be good."

Cherelus said he found Request Boutique, and he and Jamison found their way to South Park after a few weeks to expand on the wardrobe.

After about a month, Cherelus felt stable enough to rent an apartment, and it wasn't much to look at at first.

"I didn't even really have furniture in my apartment until like two months later," he said. "I was just buying stuff, piece by piece."

He didn't return to New York to collect the rest of his stuff until the late October bye week, and by then, he was getting used to his new environment.

Coming to work, however, was an easier transition. Cherelus said having a stable group of veterans around him (including the injured Shaq Thompson) allowed him to keep the main thing the main thing.

"I work hard, I try to do everything I can in my power to the point where, OK, this week coming up, this is not something I'm going to stress," Cherelus said. "I'm just ready to know what's next. If I'm going to be here, I'm blessed. If I'm not, you know, I can't do it on it forever.

"So with this coming up, I'm telling the younger guys, just make sure you're at that point where you're comfortable with whatever happens."

Obviously, having some help with the adjustment helps. A hotel close to the office for the first few weeks, and an unlimited supply of team gear and food is a plus.

But for Cherelus, the most important thing to remember is that the football has to be the first thing. Before you can worry about where you're living, you have to remember to secure your livelihood.

So his advice for young teammates is simple — accept help where you can, so you can keep your focus on the job on the field.

"Don't make them regret it, really" Cherelus said. "They claimed you for a reason. There's a lot of people in the league. There's more people that can play in the NFL than the amount of people that are in the NFL. So there's always some luck in everything, but make the most of your opportunities, really.

"But mostly, make the most of it where your feet are. Really be where your feet are and enjoy it, you know, because it only happens once, and you can always go get more stuff."