The Texas Longhorns will be without senior tight end Greg Daniels for some time, according to head coach Charlie Strong.

During a Tuesday evening media availability, the Texas head coach said that Daniels will have his knee scoped. Depending on the nature of the procedure, Daniels could be out for six to eight weeks or could return much sooner. But at this point, he's likely to miss several games.

The senior had just returned from offseason shoulder surgery that kept him out during the spring.

And though the former high school defensive end and one-time defensive tackle at Texas only had three receptions last season, he was a critical component of the successful Longhorn rush attack along with junior college transfer Geoff Swaim, in addition to potentially figuring into an expanded role for the tight ends in the passing game this fall.

"Well, right now you have [Geoff] Swaim and [M.J.] McFarland at the tight end position and we've got to look to move someone else there with Daniels [out] but we're going to wait and just see where we are with him," said Strong. "The tight end position is a very critical position in our team and within our offense because there are different sets and different formations that we use. A tight end is a very valuable player. We're just going to have to sit down and see what candidates we have to move there."

In order to establish more depth at the position, Strong floated the idea of moving freshman linebacker Andrew Beck to the position, a possibility that has been discussed since the time of Beck's commitment to Texas.

But even if Beck does make the move, he'll likely find himself at the bottom of the depth chart there, as Swaim is established as the clear-cut starter in the absence of Daniels, providing an opportunity for McFarland, a junior, and sophomore junior college transfer Blake Whiteley to get on the field.

In other injury news, Strong said that redshirt freshman offensive lineman Darius James has a foot injury, but should be back in the next few days. There was some consternation about his status when he missed Sunday's open practice, as James suffered multiple foot injuries in high school, including a broken foot that ended his senior season after only one half.

Meanwhile, senior cornerback Sheroid Evans is still limited. Strong said last week that the team will be careful with him as he recovers from the torn ACL that ended his 2013 season.