Have you checked to see if your
wheel is still in correct alignment with the
rudder? IE: Is the king spoke still vertical when the
rudder is truly centered? As I can't help but to wonder if perhaps the quadrant might have slipped a bit on the rudder shaft. It's worth checking anyway.
And not to give you nightmares, but when was the last time your rudder had a good
inspection? It's possible that the inner blade structure could have moved in relation to the rudder's shell, also.
That, & as long as you're going over (inspecting things), make sure that the sheaves are bolted down tightly to their mountings.
If one, or both are a touch loose, that too could account for some play, or slippage in the
steering system, that you could feel through the wheel.