An undisclosed illness that has kept Tony Fiametta out for the last two weeks may end the promising young fullback's season.
With the training staff still unsure as to Fiametta's long-term status, the Dallas Cowboys signed rookie seventh-round pick Shaun Chapas off their practice squad Wednesday.
Fiametta, a third-year 6'0 242 fullback out of Syracuse, was inserted into the starting line-up around the same time as RB DeMarco Murray. The young back-field formed a dominant running tandem through five games, with Murray shattering many of Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett's franchise records in the process.
However, Fiametta has not played since the Cowboys' Nov. 13 victory over the Buffalo Bills, out with an illness that has baffled Dallas' training staff.
The Cowboys had been using more two-TE sets in his absence, as well as playing third-string TE John Phillips in the back-field, but wanted a more traditional FB for the stretch run of the season.
Chapas, a 6'2 247 fullback out of Georgia, was a four-year contributor for the Bulldogs before Dallas selected him with the 220th pick of the 2011 Draft. He's been on the practice squad all season since being cut out of training camp.