The Dallas Cowboys will enter the 2015 NFL season as the defending NFC East champions.

Last season, the Cowboys won the NFC East ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Washington Redskins with an 12-4 record. Jason Garrett's club even went on to defeat the Detroit Lions in the postseason, but lost to the Green Bay Packers in the second round at Lambeau Field.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons the Cowboys were so successful last was because of their running game. DeMarco Murray ran for a league-high and franchise record 1,845 yards last season. Murray also led the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, tied for first with Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks.

Overall, the Cowboys had the No. 2 ranked rushing offense in the league last year. Memories of Emmitt Smith running behind Daryl "Moose" Johnston crept back into the minds of Cowboys fans.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Murray is no longer with the team after owner/general manager Jerry Jones decided not to reward him with at least $20 million in guaranteed money. Probably a wise decision because the Cowboys have so many more issues to focus on the defensive side of the football. Murray signed with the Eagles this offseason after they traded LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills.

The Cowboys' running backs presently consist of Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams. Not exactly a Pro Bowl collection of runners, but any set of backs will look better behind the Cowboys elite offensive line.

According to NFL reports, Chris Johnson has expressed interested in playing for the Cowboys in 2015.

"I'd fit good in Dallas. They need it. Yeah. That's what we're trying to do. Dallas, come holler at me" Johnson said this week.

Johnson was once viewed as an elite running back in this league with the Tennessee Titans having surpassed the 2,000 yard mark in 2009. Johnson ran for more than 1,000 yards in his first six seasons, up until last season, when he was a member of the New York Jets. Although Johnson ran for a career low 663 yards last season, he still averaged an impressive 4.3 yards per carry.

Johnson won't come in and save the Cowboys running game, but he could make a difference. McFadden is an injury prone running back having never started 16 games in a single season in his career once. Randle has a lot of potential, but the 23-year-old is still unproven having only started two games in his young career. A Johnson-Randle combination could be good with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant continuing to beat secondary's downfield.

Johnson obviously isn't the incredible runner he once was, but he can make a difference for the Cowboys with his speed. Breaking off quick runs to the outside can help set up play action pass plays and runs between the tackles. For the Cowboys, this is really a no risk, possible reward situation. They can simply sign him for a veteran minimum contract, and still cut him after the preseason if they don't like what they see.

Other notable free agent running backs include Ahmad Bradshaw, Knowshon Moreno, Steven Jackson and Pierre Thomas.

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