1997 Chevy Tahoe too much play

Lots of play in the steering wheel is an idication of worn front suspension parts. EVen if the tie rods are good it can be the steering box is out of adjustment, worn susupension parts other than tie rods, or the vehicle has had large tires with the improper suspension to go along with teh large tires. A front end guy can take a look and make a very quick determination on what is wrong. Any tire store that does mechanical work usually have these people. The steering box can be adjusted but if you have a lot of play it can be worn out past adjustment or it's suspension problem.