Source: Cowboys TE Witten has spleen injury

Updated: August 15, 2012, 11:34 AM ET

ESPN.com news services

Jason Witten suffered a spleen injury in Monday's preseason game and could miss the Dallas Cowboys' regular-season opener, a team source told ESPN's Ed Werder.

The Cowboys still have not determined the seriousness of the injury, although early evaluations have indicated that Witten's spleen is not ruptured, according to the source. The star tight end is experiencing internal bleeding but still could avoid surgery, the source told Werder.

If surgery is not required, Witten is expected to miss up to three weeks but likely would be available for the season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 5. But if the bleeding continues and he needs surgery, Witten would be sidelined indefinitely, according to the source.

Witten suffered the injury after taking a hit from Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain in the first quarter Monday, multiple sources told ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer. Witten missed a few plays but returned and caught one more pass before the first-team offense called it a night.

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Witten said he was OK after the game, but Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones admitted some concern when he saw the seven-time Pro Bowler leave the contest.

The Cowboys are looking into signing a tight end for camp with only two healthy tight ends on the roster.

Losing Witten would be a major blow to an offense that relies on him heavily in the run and passing games. He has become the go-to guy for quarterback Tony Romo, catching 409 passes for 4,824 yards and 21 touchdowns since Romo took over as the starter in 2006.

If Witten, who signed a six-year extension last September, cannot play against the Giants, the Cowboys will look to John Phillips as the starter.

Phillips has missed the last week with a sprained ankle and did not play against the Raiders. He has 22 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in 32 regular-season games. James Hanna, a sixth-round pick, caught two passes for 15 yards and Andrew Szczerba had one for 20 yards against Oakland.

Witten has missed one game in his career because of a fractured jaw suffered in his rookie season. He is 55 receptions away from passing Hall of Famer Michael Irvin as the franchise's all-time leading receiver. In nine seasons, he has 696 catches, which is third-most by a tight end in league history, for 7,909 yards and 41 touchdowns.

ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer contributed to this report.