As of right now they're nothing more than a nuisance...a speed bump. The chests from red names are just vendor trash..
How about adding some generated gear based on the buff the champion had and name them "(Champions Name)Mark of blahblah" for a special slot or something.
Edit: I know this is asking for a significant undertaking. I have read mentions of some Tokens or something I guess would suffice as long as the rewards where good enough to justify wanting to waste our time grinding for them.