Newly signed running back Willis McGahee said playing for Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville again is ‘like a welcome home.’ Now the nine-year veteran is ready to get to work.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — From the start of free agency, Willis McGahee had a feeling where he would end up.

Denver was showing plenty of interest in him, and the Broncos had two of the biggest selling points he was looking for — a head coach who wants to run the ball, and a certain familiar face in the coaching staff.

“The running backs coach (Eric Studesville), I had him in Buffalo,” McGahee said after Sunday’s practice at Dove Valley. “He’s probably the only coach that knows me. He knows what I can do and what I can’t do. He knows my attitude and he knows I’m going to prepare for the game. It’s like a welcome home.”

With McGahee “home” in orange and blue, his attention has quickly turned to how he’ll fit into a backfield that features the likes of Knowshon Moreno and LenDale White.

The nine-year veteran grew accustomed to sharing the load at his last stop in Baltimore, where Ray Rice was typically the feature back — with the exception of his first season with the Ravens, when he rushed for 1,207 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl.

So the idea of a multi-back system in Denver is one he welcomes.

“There’s no more one-back systems here in the NFL,” McGahee said. “Regardless, I’m just going to come in and do the best I can. I’m going to help (Moreno) out if I can help him out, and whatever plays I can make, I’m going to make.”

Head Coach John Fox stressed that the addition of McGahee is not a knock on the current state of the Broncos backfield. Rather, it’s a reflection of the way he likes to approach the run game as a coach.

“If you’ve followed my coaching history, you know I’ve had two first-rounders at running back, and I believe you have to have two backs to be a successful run team, just to keep them fresh and energized and to get through 16 games running as much as we want to run it,” Fox said.

McGahee said that philosophy in Baltimore is what has helped him stay fresh, even as he is set to turn 30 this season.

He went on to quote Jay-Z — “Thirty is the new 20″ — while saying that he is “probably in the best shape I’ve ever been in since coming into the league.”

Studesville was happy to back up that assessment.

“I go by what I see on tape,” the running backs coach said. “Last year, when we evaluated on tape, we thought he still had a lot of talent. We thought he would be a good free agent for us to come in and compete and push our room for the starting job. … He’s in incredible physical shape — you watch him and look at him — and we’re happy to have him to get him ready to compete.”

McGahee has become known for his bruising running style — particularly near the end zone. His 55 touchdowns since 2004 rank third in the NFL behind only LaDainian Tomlinson and Thomas Jones, and he racked up 17 touchdowns in the past two seasons playing alongside Rice.

It’s a role he’ll happily embrace in Denver, as well, if that’s where the coaches believe he fits.

“If I’m going to be the hammer, I’m going to be the hammer,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with it. I can pull the trigger. But I can do more.”

In the meantime, McGahee said he has buried himself in the playbook. While he cannot practice with the team until the start of the new league year — Thursday, Aug. 4 — he spent his first day on the practice field standing beside Coach Studesville, soaking in as much as he could from the sidelines.

But even without participating, McGahee’s enthusiasm to join a backfield he has already dubbed “Stallions and Broncos” was apparent.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “A new atmosphere, a new day, a new beginning. I’m just ready to have fun.”