COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers knows running back Austin Ekeler's name now.
That wasn’t the case two years ago, when Ekeler showed up at Chargers Park in San Diego as an undrafted rookie out of Division II Western State Colorado (whose school name has since changed to Western Colorado University).
Rivers kept asking backup quarterback Kellen Clemens: "Hey, what's No. 3’s name again?"
But Ekeler regularly made plays during offseason work and training camp in 2017, earning a spot on the 53-man roster. From there, Rivers learned his name.