Ty Simpson walked into Indianapolis knowing exactly what people wanted to see: his physique. For weeks, the conversation around the former Alabama QB has been about whether he looks sturdy enough to handle the NFL. Late in the season, the 6’2″ QB looked noticeably lighter, and his performance dropped. But fast-forward to the NFL combine: he gained 25 pounds, and the 23-year-old is more than happy to talk about how he did it.

“A lot of eating,” Ty Simpson began. “A lot of three meals, four meals a day, a lot of shakes, just getting in the routine of getting up in the morning, eating, drinking chocolate milk, eating lunch, eating the right meal, adding a shake to that, dinner, eating, adding a salad, just a routine that I stick with.”

He admitted that during the season, you get caught up in everything like travel, preparation, and recovery. This offseason, the focus was simple, and that’s to rebuild the 25 pounds that slipped away. 

The reason for Ty Simpson’s weight loss and poor performance late in 2025 is that he was battling a severe case of gastritis, per Tom Pelissero. The condition was reportedly triggered after he took anti-inflammatory medication for a back injury. By the time Alabama reached the Rose Bowl, he weighed in at 190lbs, which was below his usual 215. This drastic change impacted durability questions and even draft projections. But now, he’s back at 215. 

Before the illness surfaced publicly, Ty Simpson’s season had real traction. In his lone full year as Alabama’s starter, he threw for 3,567 yards with 28 TDs and just five interceptions. Through the first 11 games, he averaged 266.7 passing yards per outing and completed 66.9% of his throws. Then the final stretch hit. 

Over his last four games, production dipped to 158.3 yards per game with a 57.1% completion rate. Something was off with Ty Simpson, and now we know what it was. Still, as Todd McShay bluntly put it, February doesn’t reward explanations. 

“No one cares about excuses,” he said. “People wanna see, where are you now? Are you 210 or are you 203 and kind of getting back there?”

Right now, that’s the reality of Indianapolis for Ty Simpson. But his confidence is back as he gains serious attention from one NFL team. 

Ty Simpson says he’s a franchise QB

“I feel like I’m ready,” Ty Simpson told reporters. “I’m a franchise quarterback.”

He’s the consensus No. 2 QB behind Fernando Mendoza, but still, he didn’t duck accountability.

“I definitely think I’ve got to play better,” he said when talking about the late-season dip. “I’ve got to have accountability in that. I’ve got to make sure that we win those big-time games.”

He also leaned on his time with Alabama, saying that the locker room is as “close to a locker room in the NFL as you can get.” Amidst all these, one team paying close attention is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sources told the Post-Gazette they liked how Ty Simpson conducted himself in meetings. When the QB described sitting down with head coach Mike McCarthy, he revealed they talked about protection schemes, situational football, and conversations about QBs the head coach has worked with, including Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers. 

Still, Ty Simpson is not the only QB on the Steelers’ radar, as Penn State’s Drew Allar and Miami’s Carson Beck also had formal interviews with Pittsburgh. His main concern was his frame, but now that he’s fully healthy and back to 215 pounds, he becomes an intriguing prospect, but will still have to prove himself.