Jack the front end up and put it on jackstands. Grab the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock, and try to jerk the wheel left to right. There should be no play. You might notice the wheel move a little, but that could be either slack in the steering box, or the actual steering wheel moving. It would be a good thing to have a buddy grab the wheel and you get a flashlight and look over the steering components looking for play.

If you decide to remove it, you'll want to go ahead and get an alignment. Any time you change steering components you want to get it aligned. To get it to the shop, count the number of turns it takes to remove the tie rod end, and then put the new one back on the same amount of turns. That will get you close enough to drive it temporarily.