Steering column binds when leaving the wheel-centered position

For a while now I have been living with this problem where when going straight in my lane then needing to give a little left or right steering inputs, it would require a significant amount of force. I determined that the intermediate shaft was the the culprit and purchased a new shaft. I installed it this weekend and sure enough the upper U-joint was really frozen up. I test drove the vehicle and the steering is much better.

That said, the problem has not gone away completely. There is still a slight bind in the mid-wheel position. It happens both when turning to the right or left, but it feels to me that it takes a little more pressure to overcome it when turning left.

It is not the end of the world. Has anyone else found this problem after replacing the steering shaft?

I have a theory that perhaps the extended time I drove it while it was binding may have damaged the input shaft on the steering rack. Thoughts/ideas anyone?