Which Surprise NFL Running Backs Will Top the 1,000-Yard Mark in 2015?

Every year, an unexpected running back rises to the occasion and becomes one of the NFL's top rushers.

In 2014, the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarco Murray benefited from playing behind the game's best offensive line and became the league's leading rusher with 1,845 yards, which eclipsed his previous career high of 1,121 yards that was set a year earlier. 

Certain running backs take their game to the next level, while others prove their worth to their respective teams. 

Of the 13 running backs to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in 2014, only four hadn't previously reached that mark. 

Le'Veon Bell, Justin Forsett, Lamar Miller and rookie Jeremy Hill burst onto the scene and established themselves as legitimate feature backs. 

Inevitably, a few surprise candidates will rise to the occasion and reach the 1,000-yard plateau this fall. 

Bleacher Report identified five likely suspects, which are listed in descending order from the least to most surprising, capable of doing so...

5. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers

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It's been six years since the Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart called himself a 1,000-yard rusher.

At 28 years old, Stewart is the oldest running back on this year's list and the only one to crack the previously mentioned barrier. 

Every year, this talented ball-carrier is expected to produce at a high level, but injuries have plagued his career. 

In fact, Stewart hasn't played a full 16-game slate since 2011. He only started eight games last year, but it was his performance during the final six games that leads one to believe a resurgence is in store for the former first-round pick. 

During the Panthers' playoff run last season, Stewart took over as a workhorse back. The bruising runner averaged 99 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry during this particular stretch. The Oregon product carried the ball more than 20 times on four different occasions and ran for over 120 yards three times. The Panthers were 5-0 with Stewart as the focal point of the offense before the team fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs. 

While Stewart's ability to remain healthy for a full season remains in question, he'll get an opportunity to become Carolina's feature back for the first time in his career in 2015. Since being selected with the 13th pick in the 2008 NFL draft, Stewart shared the backfield with DeAngelo Williams. Carolina's all-time leading rusher was released in March, which paves the way for Stewart to finally assert himself as the team's top option. 

Plus, the Panthers also benefited last year from inserting a pair of rookies, Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner, at guard. Both should be even better during their second season. And the team continued to add weapons to the offense in wide receivers Devin Funchess, Jarrett Boykin and Ted Ginn Jr. to take pressure off of quarterback Cam Newton and the running game. 

Each of these changes within the roster indicates Stewart will once again become a 1,000-yard rusher. 

4. Joseph Randle, Dallas Cowboys

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Anyone can run for 1,000 yards behind the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line. 

OK, this isn't exactly true, but Big D's offensive front is the NFL's most talented group. The unit features three former first- or second-team All-Pro performers in Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Travis Frederick. Doug Free and Ronald Leary both received positive grades from Pro Football Focus as well. The team then signed La'el Collins as an undrafted free agent. Any running back would be excited to run behind this group. 

This bodes well for whomever is eventually given the nod as the Cowboys' starting running back. The most likely candidate is Joseph Randle, who served as DeMarco Murray's backup last season when he ran for a league-leading 1,845 yards. Murray signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent this offseason. 

Randle showed promise last year, too. The Oklahoma State product averaged a whopping 6.7 yards per carry on his 51 attempts. 

The biggest obstacle in front of Randle is new teammate Darren McFadden. 

"With the addition of Darren it's going to be a nice group," Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown told The Dallas Morning-News' Jon Machota. "I can't say who is going to be the lead dog right now, but those guys are going to compete and we're going to do what's necessary to win games."

Due to his familiarity with the system and overall upside, Randle is a much safer bet to eventually become the team's starting running back. After all, McFadden is a known quantity who never lived up to his status as a fourth overall pick by the Oakland Raiders. 

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan expects to "spread out the carries" between the two, so no one should expect Murray-level production this season from either back. But Randle's explosive capabilities are superior to McFadden's at this point in their careers. 

Once Randle finally gets an opportunity to be the focal point of the offense, he'll have a chance to prove whether or not Murray actually left a lot of meat on the bone last season. 

3. C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos

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Plenty of change occurred during the offseason for the Denver Broncos, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. But those changes started in the team's backfield during Week 4 of the 2014 campaign when Montee Ball suffered a groin injury. 

Anderson eventually took over as the team's No. 1 ball-carrier after Ronnie Hillman suffered a sprained Lisfranc, and the Cal product never looked back. 

During his eight starts, including the Broncos' loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs, Anderson carried the ball 167 times for 757 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Ball and Hillman are expected to return from injury and compete for playing time, but Anderson is projected as the Broncos' starting running back while the team prepares for training camp under new head coach Gary Kubiak.

"Obviously, C.J., that's in a lot of ways his spot to hang on to," Kubiak said last month, per News 9's Broncos insider Mike Klis. "Coming off of last year he deserves that opportunity and I think he's getting ready for that opportunity. But he knows he's being pushed very hard."

The starting running back role is a coveted position in Kubiak's system. His zone-blocking scheme has produced numerous 1,000-yard rushers such as Terrell Davis, Arian Foster and Justin Forsett over the course of his play-calling career. 

The system now returns to Denver, where Kubiak previously served as the team's offensive coordinator during the Broncos' heyday from 1995-2002. 

Denver's offensive line may be in flux after losing Orlando Franklin in free agency, trading center Manny Ramirez and losing Ryan Clady to another season-ending ACL injury, but a full season with Anderson as the starter in Kubiak's system should provide the offense with a viable running attack to complement quarterback Peyton Manning and the team's explosive passing capabilities. 

2. Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders

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Last season, the Oakland Raiders were stumbling along with one of the NFL's worst running games, because veterans Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew provided very little to the offense. 

Latavius Murray provided a spark in Week 11 against the San Diego Chargers. The Central Florida product ran for 43 yards on only four carries against the Raiders' division rival. 

Four days later, Murray exploded onto the scene in front of a national audience during Thursday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs. Murray again carried the ball four times, but he amassed an impressive 112 yards and two touchdowns, including a 90-yard romp. 

Unfortunately, the running back was slowed by a concussion he suffered later in the Thursday night affair. 

Once Murray returned in Week 14, the Raiders provided him with a much heavier workload. During the final four games, he carried the ball 68 times for 258 yards. 

"Getting a chance to start three games, it’s something that I definitely want to continue to build off of," Murray told Raiders.com's Rebecca Corman. “I had that mentality in the offseason just to prepare to be the No. 1 guy and play that way and train that way."

Not only is Murray expected to be the Raiders' primary running back this fall, he'll receive plenty of help too. 

General manager Reggie McKenzie targeted two key pieces in center Rodney Hudson and wide receiver Amari Cooper that will allow the Raiders offense to be much improved. With Hudson anchoring the offensive line, Cooper to stretch the field and quarterback Derek Carr more comfortable during his second season, the offense should be far more potent under the direction of new coordinator Bill Musgrave, who served as Chip Kelly's quarterbacks coach last season.

As the offensive creates more space due to its scheme and improved talent, Murray's production is poised to explode this season. 

1. Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons

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Last season, a single rookie running back, the Cincinnati Bengals' Jeremy Hill, eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier. 

After this year's draft, the San Diego Chargers' Melvin Gordon or even the St. Louis Rams' Todd Gurley are favorites to be early fantasy football picks due to their projected production and overall upside. But fantasy football doesn't equate to evaluating the best young running back from the 2015 draft class. 

The Atlanta Falcons' Tevin Coleman, who was selected 73rd overall, was placed in the perfect situation to produce at a high level during his rookie campaign. 

Coleman, who played for the Indiana Hoosiers in Kevin Wilson's zone-heavy run game, ran for over 2,000 yards as a junior even though he played through a broken foot during the final seven weeks of the season. He'll now play in Kyle Shanahan's vaunted zone-blocking scheme. Shanahan's system is considered running back friendly, and Coleman's breakaway speed brings an entirely different element to it. 

The rookie still has some work to do, though.

After suffering a mild groin strain during minicamp, Coleman will enter training camp behind second-year running back Devonta Freeman on the Falcons' depth chart, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter.

His expectations still haven't lessened. 

"My goals for my rookie year would be: I want to rush for 1,000 yards and have over 10 touchdowns," Coleman told AtlantaFalcons.com. 

Coleman certainly has the ability to win the starting spot in training camp due to his familiarity with the team's running concepts and overall burst once he touches the ball. 

If he does, the Falcons will likely have a rookie-of-the-year candidate in their backfield.