Joey's favorite Husky of all time scores first NFL touchdown!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Devin Culp (82) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
By Sophia Vesely Seattle Times staff reporter
Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ultimately suffered a 29-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night, it was a big night for former Washington star tight end, Devin Culp.
Culp, a 2024 seventh-round draft pick for the Bucs, notched his first career NFL touchdown on his very first catch of the season. He scored a six-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Tampa Bay a 20-14 lead.
The 25-year-old, in the second of his four-year rookie contract, found the field following the absence of veteran starter Cade Otton, another transplant from UW, who suffered a knee injury in Week 14.
Culp grew up in Spokane and attended Gonzaga Prep. The 6-4, 237-pound player was a Husky for six seasons (2018-23) and played in 40 games across his last three, tallying 65 receptions for 696 yards and four touchdowns. Culp earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2023.
Culp had five receptions for 88 yards, but no touchdowns, in his rookie NFL season.
He and Otton (who played at UW from 2017-21) are just two in a pack of Huskies on the Bucs’ roster.
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Wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who returned from injury Thursday and almost had a touchdown, played at UW from 2020-23 and earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2022. The Bucs selected him in the third round of the 2024 draft.
Defensive tackle Greg Gaines played at Washington from 2014-18, earning First-Team All-Pac-12 and the Morris Trophy in his last year. Gaines was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 in the fourth round.
Vita Vea, another form Husky star from 2014-17 and two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ with the Buccaneers, has been an anchor on Tampa Bay’s defensive line since being taken with the No. 12 pick in the 2018 draft.
Sophia Vesely: svesely@seattletimes .com. Sophia Vesely is a general assignment sports reporter at the Seattle Times. She wrote for the Dallas Morning News and the Orlando Sentinel before joining the Seattle Times in 2025.