The Dallas Cowboys have led the NFC East at 11-4 and are predicted to grab a cozy spot this post-season. For a reputably bad defense and a passable offense, the team has gone past many football fans' expectations. This is the Dallas Cowboys' first post-season since 2009.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys story is not all success in Dallas. Two of the team's stars, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, are set to be free agents after this season, and the cash-strapped Cowboys may not be able to get them back.

This is truly unfortunate as Dez Bryant has been a leading receiver and DeMarco has proven to be a worthy MVP candidate on offense. Bryant has an NFL-best 13 touchdowns, and 79 catches for just over 1,000 yards. Murray also leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns and a 4.8 yards per carry average.

Grantland's Bill Barnwell suggests that the only reason Murray has been given such an immense workload is because the Cowboys do not want to resign him, and "they're just getting every last drop out of a player who won't be in a Cowboys uniform next hear."

But with an expected rise in the salary cap to over $140 million, the Cowboys may be able to retain both of their dangerous football stars. Field Yates from ESPN writes, "Teams maneuver cap space easily through releases or the restructuring of contracts on their roster... The Cowboys will have the franchise tag available this off-season to use on one of these two players."

With a successful season behind them, Cowboys fans are keeping their fingers crossed that Bryant and Murray remain next year to once again lead the team to post-season.