Chargers giving Rivers chance to end career with shot at championship

The Los Angeles Chargers aren't championship contenders, and they haven't been for some time.

However, this has been in no way down to the play of Philip Rivers, who, with the retirement of Tony Romo, might now be the NFL's most underappreciated quarterback.

For too long, Rivers has been asked to do too much with too little. But the Chargers ensured their veteran quarterback will be a happy man in the team's first season in L.A. by retooling the offense during the first three rounds of the draft.

Now, three rookies don't turn a non-playoff team into a championship contender, but the Chargers' picks fix some of the major issues that held the team back from making the postseason in 2016.

Firstly, Rivers was given a shiny new toy to play with in the form of Clemson receiver Mike Williams, whom the Chargers picked seventh overall.

Williams is a physical monster, a player capable of consistently winning the 50-50 balls Rivers loves to throw. His speed is only average, but he won't be asked to consistently beat defenses deep. That's Travis Benjamin's job.

Williams is insurance in case No. 1 wideout Keenan Allen isn't himself coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries. Allen insists he's close to 100 percent healthy, so pairing the two with Dontrelle Inman and Tyrell Williams, who both excelled in expanded roles after Allen's injury, gives Rivers one of the league's deepest receiving corps.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The Chargers' next two selections weren't as sexy, but will arguably be much more vital to giving Rivers a chance at ending his career with a bang.

Second-round pick Forrest Lamp was considered by some to be the draft's best offensive lineman, and third-round guard Dan Feeney is an excellent pass-blocker who can start from Day 1.

The Chargers' offensive line has been a carousel of mediocre talent and good players who can't stay healthy. L.A. overpaid in free agency to grab left tackle Russell Okung, but the team's willingness to hand out such a contract spoke volumes about its desire to protect Rivers.

If all goes to plan, Lamp and Feeney will slot into the starting lineup alongside Okung and veteran center Matt Slauson, giving Rivers the best offensive line he's had in years - a must for an aging quarterback who's never had the athleticism to make pass-rushers miss.

Rivers has always been more than good enough to deliver a Super Bowl to the Chargers. Three straight years without a playoff berth has caused many to believe Rivers' championship window is closed, however.

And while the Chargers will have to fight through the stacked AFC West in 2017, they've given Rivers the necessary reinforcements to take the division and more.