Getty Images

Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd said recently that he hopes to resume his NFL career after last September’s serious neck injury and he’s taken a step toward that return.

Floyd told Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego that he has resumed running as part of the rehabilitation process and has been cleared to start lifting weights as well. Neither of those milestones make a return a sure thing as the severity of the injury and possibility of reinjury both remain obstacles he’ll have to clear to find his way back into the Chargers’ lineup.

“It’s not quite there yet, but it’s getting there,” Floyd said. “There’s really no timetable. It’s pretty much just basing it on how I am and how well I feel. … There’s still a little discomfort in there, but it’s a lot better. … I’m getting there. It just felt good to start running again and becoming more active. I’m feeling a lot better as far as that goes.”

As long as there’s still pain in his neck, it’s unrealistic to think Floyd’s return to action is around the corner. The fact that he’s progressed enough to lose the neck brace and ramp up his physical activities is still encouraging, though, and hopefully there will be more where that came from in the weeks and months to come.