Tank Williams, left, looks over the playbook at Patriots training camp on Tuesday.

Journal photo / Mary Murphy

FOXBORO –– In some respects, Tank Williams is in a different position than most NFL players as his once promising career reaches a crossroads.

After starting his first 41 games as a pro with Tennessee and establishing himself as one of the top young safeties in the game, he has been knocked out by injuries. Not once, but twice. The second came last year, in New England’s first preseason game, his first in a Patriots’ uniform. He went down with a torn ACL, the second of his career, and missed the entire season.

He is back now and healthy at age 29. But his situation has changed. New England has brought in a host of defensive backs and Williams, who has made 303 tackles in 70 career games with the Titans and the Vikings, is fighting for a job. The Pats’ depth chart lists the 6-foot-2, 223-pounder as the third-team strong safety, behind Brandon Meriweather and rookie Pat Chung.

Williams is fighting as much for a spot on the roster as a starting job. The good news is he is feeling better than he has in more than a year.

“Whenever you gets reps out there, no matter if you are out there with the first team, second team or third team, it doesn’t matter,” he said Tuesday, as the Pats held their final day of training camp. “You have to make the most of your opportunities. As long as you’re making plays when you are out there on the field, they’ll notice it.”

Most players have problems even thinking about what will happen when their careers end. That’s where Williams is different. He can deal with it better than most because he expects to have another life after football. He certainly has prepared himself for it.

The Mississippi native is a Stanford grad, which is impressive enough. But he has done even more. He has taken advantage of the NFL’s Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, to the point where he has taken additional classes at three of the best institutions in the country –– at his alma mater, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and at Harvard.

“It was an amazing opportunity, especially the one at the Wharton School,” Williams said. “It covered a wide variety of things, from entrepreneurship, to franchising, to real estate, which is one of the things that catches my interest.”

“I believe guys should take advantage of those kind of opportunities,” he went on. “You are going to some of the best institutions in the world and learning from some of the best professors about things that will help you further on in life after football. It’s definitely a great opportunity, one that I appreciate.”

Williams hopes for a business career when football is over.

“I’m interested in a few things. I’m interested in owning my own business, maybe doing a little real estate work,” he said. “They’ve given me the opportunity to learn about aspects of business while I’m still focusing on football. When you’re playing, your one and sole focus has to be football. But you have time in the offseason to learn about other things. Once it’s time for the season, you have to refocus all your attention, all your energy on the game.”

That’s what he is doing now. Coach Bill Belichick has noticed.

“Tank is a guy that has really looked better each day that he’s out there, physically and also from a confidence standpoint,” Belichick said. “He’s done a really good job in the tackling drills. He’s done a good job in pass coverage. He’s a smart, very dependable player and — from where he was in the spring, to where he was in the start of training camp, to where he is now — I think he’s made several significant steps.”

“I think [those steps are] very noticeable to everybody, to the defensive coaches, of course, who are seeing him every day, but also to the offensive coaches that are working against him, how much more competitive he is in each area of the game, be it special teams, defense, one-on-one coverage, things like that. It’s really been noticeable in every area, so he’s doing a good job,” the coach concluded.

In addition to safety, the Pats have used Williams closer to the line, where a linebacker might be expected to be stationed. It is a role Rodney Harrison has handled in the past.

“At the previous places I’ve been, I’ve been able to play down low and up. I’m comfortable doing both,” Williams said. “I do whatever they ask me to do. Let the chips fall where they may. All you can do is go out there and compete.”

He would like that competition to be on a football field, not in the business world, for a few more years.

pkenyon@projo.com