The New England Patriots' offseason is only a week old, but that just means we've got more time to figure out what this team needs to do and how they should address it.

Arguably the biggest thing they need to address is the offensive coaching situation, which they're doing as they've announced they'll be interviewing candidates for offensive coordinator after going without one this past season. But there are still needs beyond that, especially at a few premier positions on their roster.

With that in mind, here are three early free-agent targets for the Patriots to consider this offseason.

Orlando Brown Jr.

Offensive tackle is probably the biggest need the Patriots have roster-wise entering the offseason.

The left tackle/right tackle swap of Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn didn't work. Brown had ups and downs throughout the season but ended up allowing eight sacks and 39 pressures this season at left tackle – just far too many to give up on the quarterback's blindside. Meanwhile, Wynn gave up four sacks and 17 pressures in nine games, a few of which he was benched during due to his poor play before he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 11.

So, with Brown likely better served playing right tackle and Wynn likely gone as his rookie contract is set to expire, the Patriots should go big-name hunting at left tackle. Currently, the best left tackle that's set to become a free agent at season's end is Kansas City's Orlando Brown. Jr.

Brown makes sense for a few reasons for the Patriots. The first, obviously, being that he's good. He's been named a Pro Bowler in each of the last four seasons, including 2022, a season in which some Chiefs fans might argue he hasn't played too well. However, Brown was dominant to finish the season. He allowed just one sack in the Chiefs' final nine games and Pro Football Focus graded him as the third-best pass-blocking left tackle from Week 10 until the end of the season.

The other reason to sign Brown is his age. He'll only turn 27 in May. So, for instance, a five-year contract would take him through his age-31 season, meaning you'd ideally get him while he's still in the prime of his career. His timeline also matches the age timeline of Mac Jones, who'll be 25 at the start of the 2023 season. And if we find Jones just isn't the franchise quarterback going forward after next season, you'll at least have a strong left tackle in place for the next guy.

Jamel Dean

There might not be many cornerback rooms in the NFL that have the depth that the Patriots have at the position.

Jonathan Jones was a bit of a revelation this season switching from slot corner to outside corner. Jack Jones played solid on the outside as a rookie this season. Jalen Mills has had some ups-and-downs since switching to the position on a full-time basis during the 2021 season, but the talent is clearly there. And of course, there's Marcus Jones, who is ideally best as a slot corner but proved to be more than that in his rookie season.

The only problem is that they lack that elite guy that can go toe-to-toe with the league's best receivers. While Jonathan Jones had a mostly solid outside season at corner, he struggled in matchups against Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs this season.

Obviously, there's next to no one that can fully shut down both receivers. But there has to be a corner out there that can at least slow down those kinds of receivers on a consistent basis, right?

Dean might be the best free-agent option in that regard. He's been able to hang with some of the league's best receivers since he was drafted in 2019. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 54.7 percent of their passes (156-for-285) for 1,624 yards (10.4 per attempt) with a 77.6 passer rating when targeting Dean over his career. He's also allowed just 0.80 yards per coverage snap allowed over his career, too.

There are a couple of downsides or question marks surrounding the 26-year-old, though. Dean's recorded only seven interceptions to just 14 touchdowns. He's also never been the Buccaneers' true No. 1 corner with Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting in place, but Dean's also recorded coverage snaps against Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., CeeDee Lamb and other top receivers over the last couple of seasons and has had success.

Dean might have also made a case for a strong payday on Monday by not playing. The Buccaneers allowed Dak Prescott to throw for a playoff career-high 305 yards in their blowout loss to the Cowboys, which Dean missed in part due to dealing with an illness.

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Jakobi Meyers

Sometimes, the best signings you can make are by re-signing your own players. The Patriots have a few players that they should want to keep. Finding a way to keep Jonathan Jones would be ideal and they should hope Devin McCourty can stave off retirement for one more season and re-sign with them as they don't have a clear-cut option to replace him at free safety.

The third player they should try to bring back is Jakobi Meyers.

The homegrown player has turned himself from an undrafted player in 2019 who was just a couple seasons removed from playing quarterback to the team's leading receiver in each of the last three seasons – and he's gotten better each year. Meyers was a security blanket for Mac Jones in 2021, recording 82 receptions that year. This past season, he became a bit more dynamic as he had 67 receptions for 804 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games.

Meyers has also built a strong relationship with Jones. The receiver notably came to the quarterback's defense when he was replaced during the Patriots' Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears and did so again at the end of the season. Jones reciprocated those feelings, saying in the preseason that he hopes to play with Meyers for his entire career and said following their season-ending loss that Meyers is one of his favorite teammates ever.

Jakobi Meyers is also arguably the top free-agent wide receiver this offseason, so he might come with a bit of a price. But the Patriots need to find a way to make life easier for Jones in 2023, and re-signing Meyers shouldn't stop them from grabbing an elite receiver, either. If the Patriots can do both, they'll get a clear cut answer as to whether or not Jones is the quarterback of the future by the end of the 2023 season.