Could the New York Giants have a quarterback competition on their hands? Definitely not at the top of the depth chart, but former Temple QB Evan Simon is hoping that a UDFA contract is a foot in the door for the NFL.
Simon hails from Manheim, Pennsylvania, a small town of just over 5,000 in south-west PA, and started his collegiate career at Rutgers. He played sparingly for the Scarlet Knights, appearing in just 16 games from 2021 to 2023. He then transferred from Rutgers to Temple in 2024 and became
the first Temple player to have a 6-touchdown game in just his second start. Simon started nine games his red-shirt junior year, going 3-6 and throwing for 2,032 yards, 15 touchdowns to 9 interceptions.
It wasn’t a stellar year, but it was enough for Simon to secure the starting job for the 2025 season. Simon also impressed the people around him and was selected to change his number from 12 to 6 for his red-shirt senior season. That simple number change is significant at Temple, as only players who are leaders on and off the field are allowed to wear single digits.
Simon proved the faith was well-placed and took a big step forward in his second season as the starter. While his improvements is completion percentage and yardage were modest (58.8 to 60.4 percent and 2,032 to 2,097, respectively), he made a major improvement in efficiency. Last year Simon threw 25 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions and improved his adjusted yards per attempt from 6.26 to 8.01.
On the field, Simon has a lean build at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, with solid arm strength and athleticism. He has to labor a bit to really drive the ball down the field, but is able to make long sideline throws with solid accuracy and placement, as well as layer throws between defender when throwing over the middle. He doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way, as evidenced by the fact that he threw just two interceptions last year.
He was also recruited as a dual-threat quarterback, and has the mobility to hurt defenses as a runner. Simon wasn’t a major factor in Temple’s running game, but he’s able to execute roll-outs effectively and is willing to run the ball when asked to do so.
Can Simon upset Brandon Allen and become the Giants’ third QB? That remains to be seen, but he at least has a chance to stick on the practice squad and emerge as Jaxson Dart’s backup in 2027.
