Imagine being given a pop quiz on the second day of school.

That's basically what Caleb Williams experienced Tuesday when Bears first-year coach Ben Johnson burst into the quarterback room on Day 2 of the voluntary offseason program and fired off an array of questions.

"Today we had our first quiz in the QB room," Williams said. "We went over a few things yesterday, talked about a few things and Ben walked in this morning, flung open the door, made a grand entrance and then we got to work, him testing us about what we talked about yesterday. Already first day in and challenging us.

"Everybody loves a challenge in this sport. It's one of the great things about this sport. Every day is a challenge and today we got our first one."

The pop quiz may have been a surprise, but it's in keeping with what Johnson stated last month during a press conference. Asked about the offseason program, he cautioned that it would not be easy or comfortable for players, saying: "Anything worth doing is hard, so it's going to take a lot of work, it's going to take a lot of effort."

Williams loves that type of mentality and is eager to work with Johnson, who spent the past three seasons coordinating a potent Lions offense. During that span, Detroit averaged a league-high 28.2 points per game and quarterback Jared Goff passed for an average of 4,547 yards and 32 touchdowns per year while being voted to a pair of Pro Bowls.

"I think us growing together is key," Williams said. "Him pushing me is key. I know that and he knows that. So building that bond, him pushing me and us growing together for years to come is going to be fun. I can't wait [for him] to be able to help me learn more about ball – because he's super smart, super sharp – and grow and progress in those ways."

Williams understands that the work ahead will be difficult. But the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft intends to embrace it as he prepares for his second NFL season.

"I'm super excited about it," Williams said. "Being able to be in this position, being able to have a first year the way I did, ups and downs, and then to be able come in here, be as confident as I was last year or possibly even more and to be able to get here with the group that we have, I really can't wait to get to work with these guys.

"We've got a good group of guys personality-wise, and then obviously talent-wise, it speaks for itself, what some of these guys have been able to do, and so many key pieces that we added so far to this team. We've meshed well these past two days of introduction, and now today of our first workout, and [we're] getting after it.

"We're all really excited and we can't wait to put in the work … That doesn't just mean us putting in time on the board, us being here working out, lifting, getting stronger, faster. It's also us hanging out in the offseason, building that bond, so that when times do get tough … we fight through it, we get through it, we keep going as a team."

Last week Johnson told reporters that he intended to begin building a foundation with Williams when the offseason program started.

"You go back to the basics," Johnson said at the time. "It's the fundamentals of the quarterback position: What's our footwork going to look like under center? From the shotgun? What are we calling the formations? What's the defensive identification going to look like? So that we're all speaking the same language.

"We've got to get on the same page because it'll be a little bit different for him than what he experienced last year, and if we can mesh together and start speaking the same language, that's when things will really start to take off."

Johnson revealed that Williams will take more snaps from under center during offseason workouts. Last year the Bears ran 70.8% of their plays out of the shotgun formation, tied for 16th most in the NFL, while the Lions lined up in the shotgun less than any other team (44.0%).

"It's the whole thing," Williams said Tuesday. "It's working [on] getting up to the line and visualizing. Saying the cadence, being under center, controlling those things, going over the routes, concepts, the footwork in your head in the offseason so when that when those times hit and it's the fourth quarter, you can't think about those things, and you can't focus on those things. It's second nature.

"And getting under there and going through cadence, going through the huddle sequence, getting up to the line, making checks if needed. It's practicing those things now, visualizing those things now and building on those."