Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has insisted that DeMarco Murray deserves credit for his performances this season and believes that he won't be easily replaced.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has previously conceded that it will be difficult to keep both Murray and star wide receiver Dez Bryant.

"It's not easy to do that and I think coach [Jason] Garrett said it a few weeks back that he created a mindset for our team and that's not easy to do," Witten told reporters.

"He deserves a lot of that credit, DeMarco does, and so that's why you want a guy like that back, because he stands for everything you want in your football team."

Murray was credited with playing a key role on the Dallas offense this season as he carried the ball over 400 times during the campaign.